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TLC 80

G

Guest

Guest
Dear members of ELCO,
I would like to introduce myself at first.
We live in France, close to Paris at the moment. Originally we came from
South Africa and Namibia where we were introduced to 4x4 expeditions. We
have traveled extensively in Namibia, our favorite country.
I recently bought an 1992 80 VX 4.2 auto in England and am in the process
preparing it to be registered in France.
We plan our first big trip to Morocco this summer and would like to get some
helpful suggestions from those of you who have been traveling before or
frequently do so to morocco.
What are the essential things to do to prepare our vehicle? I do believe
that 4x4's especially tlc's are build to go as they are to do 4x4 trips and
nothing extra really needs to be done except basic preparation like a good
service extra basic spares extra tire maybe an extra jerry can or two
depending where you go, extra water etc. A lot of the other stuff are nice
to have's not essentials. At least that is my thinking on this. In Africa
we had a basic Land rover 4 series and later a range rover and we traveled
sometimes on our own, just one vehicle for 5-7 days without seeing any other
vehicles and we never got so stuck that we could not get out. I tend to be
a cautious driver.
So what are the essentials for going to Morocco.
I also would like to know about oils to use. The original owner apparently
used Halfords oil, ,I believe. My question at the moment is if I should
switch to synthetic diesel oil. There is a lot written up about it. My
TLC has 119,000 miles on at the moment and I don't think it has been on
serious off road before, ,looks very clean underneath.
I also am looking for good suggestions in terms of nice exciting off road
places to visit in Morocco. Any particular suggestions.
We plan to drive through the Pyrenees as well any off the beaten roads in
the middle of nature that you suggest. This will be a I month trip. One
week to get down to Morocco, two weeks in Morocco and one week through Spain
back
Where can I get good but inexpensive TLC parts in France where people can
speak English.
Looking forward to hear from any of you
Willie Van Der Merwe
Membercare Director for
North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia
email:[Email address removed]
Tel: 33 (France) 6 25 54 05 21 (Cell)
Tel: 33 (France) 1 60 68 89 60 (Home)
 
Hi Willie,
Welcome aboard.
Where near Paris are you, we have one or two members quite close.
I spent April doing a similar trip so here goes:
As you say, your 80 should be able to do it in standard trim as long as
it has been well serviced, paying particular attention to the axles,
brakes and engine.
Depending on the amount of load you are expecting to carry, you might
want to look at upgrading the suspension to give yourself a bit of lift
(2.5") and to cope for with the extra loads you may be carrying.
For water, we were a family of 5 and had 1 jerry can of water for
washing as well as about 20litres in solar showers, also for washing
and then used bottled water for drinking - cheaply available
everywhere.
If you are going to be staying in campsites most the time you don't
really need much water at all, although the solar showers are handy
because many of the campsites charge extra for hot water.
If you plan to use campsites, get the French Gandini Guide to camping
in Morocco - it has the most up to date and accurate reviews of
campsites around Morocco.
On the fuel side we had two jerry cans in the back, which we will up in
Cueta on our way over, but never needed it. You can see a lot of the
country on day or two day trips - unless you want to spend more time
away from 'civilisation' then you may find the Jerry's come in useful.
On top of that it is worth having a compressor for adjusting tyre
pressures and if you are travelling on your own I would advise sand
ladders/waffle boards and a shovel, although if you are with others you
can probably leave the sand ladders at home and just take a good tow
rope.
Nothing wrong with running synthetic, although you may issues with some
seals leaking whicch sometimes happens when you change over. The only
other thing is that they are expensive and if you want to go for longer
service intervals to counter the cost, make sure you do regular oil
analysis.
What are you after? Pure driving experiences or visiting interesting
places? Also are you more interested in the mountains or the desert,
or a bit of both.
Again look for the French Ganndini guides - they have a single book
providing the Premier Pistes which provides a good bit of variety, or
you can buy the full set of 4-6 volumes detailing a stack of pistes all
over the Morocco.
Get some service parts like seals, etc from Milner Offroad
(http://www.milneroffroad.com/) in the UK and then probably other
Toyota stuff from Maarten at http://www.all-american.nl.
Personally I prefer to use Toyota for Oil and Fuel filters, brake pads
and inner axle seals, UJs and then Milner for everything else.
Hope that helps.
--
Regards,
Julian Voelcker
Mobile: 07971 540362
Skype: julianvoelcker
Cirencester, United Kingdom
1994 HDJ80, 2.5" OME Lift
 
Hi Julian
Thanks for writing back, I appreciate it. It is very helpful.
We live about 20 minutes south of Evry and about 20 minutes north of
Fontainebleau, close to Ponthierry.
As far as our trip to Morocco. We plan a +-4 week trip. One week
traveling down to Morocco spending some time in Portugal and the Pyrenees, 2
weeks in Morocco and then a week back through Spain.
I have looked at different trips and we have a lot of options of pistes to
take in Morocco. A number of routs are in the mountains or are on the south
side of the Atlas mountains. We would like to be most of the time away from
civilization and would like to explore both the mountains and the desert.
We probably will visit Marrakesh and Casa.
Do you have any suggestions for 4x4ing in the Pyrenees? We plan to be there
for about 3 days and would like to do off the beaten track traveling,
camping outside etc,. Someone suggested that we should rather camp and drive
on the Spanish side because there are less restrictions of where you could
travel.. Any detailed maps of the Pyrenees available or suggested routes?
What I really need at the moment is information about where I can buy used
front lights for my LC 80. I ordered ones from the US and although they fit
there bulb fixtures are different and I have to return them soon. The
Toyota dealers wanted to charge me more that 700 euros for two front lights
which I'm not going to pay.
Where can I get used front lights for right hand drive LC 80. Any
suggestions of used spare places somewhere in France or Europe? I need the
right lights to register the LC in France and like to do that in the next
week or two
I also need to buy some tires? I want to choose between General Grabbers
AT, BF Goodrich All terrain or Bridgestone Revos. Any comments. Then The
General Grabbers apparently don't manufacture 275's but only 265's. If the
speck of the rims says 275/70/16 will 265's work as well. The Generals
seems to be the cheapest but they are rated well. What kind of mileage can
I expect per tire etc.
Sorry for all my questions.
Willie Van Der Merwe
Membercare Director for
North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia
email:[Email address removed]
Tel: 33 (France) 6 25 54 05 21 (Cell)
Tel: 33 (France) 1 60 68 89 60 (Home)
Skype address: willievandermerwe

-----Original Message-----
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of Julian Voelcker
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 1:12 PM
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: Re: [ELCO] TLC 80
Hi Willie,
Welcome aboard.
Where near Paris are you, we have one or two members quite close.
I spent April doing a similar trip so here goes:
As you say, your 80 should be able to do it in standard trim as long as
it has been well serviced, paying particular attention to the axles,
brakes and engine.
Depending on the amount of load you are expecting to carry, you might
want to look at upgrading the suspension to give yourself a bit of lift
(2.5") and to cope for with the extra loads you may be carrying.
For water, we were a family of 5 and had 1 jerry can of water for
washing as well as about 20litres in solar showers, also for washing
and then used bottled water for drinking - cheaply available
everywhere.
If you are going to be staying in campsites most the time you don't
really need much water at all, although the solar showers are handy
because many of the campsites charge extra for hot water.
If you plan to use campsites, get the French Gandini Guide to camping
in Morocco - it has the most up to date and accurate reviews of
campsites around Morocco.
On the fuel side we had two jerry cans in the back, which we will up in
Cueta on our way over, but never needed it. You can see a lot of the
country on day or two day trips - unless you want to spend more time
away from 'civilisation' then you may find the Jerry's come in useful.
On top of that it is worth having a compressor for adjusting tyre
pressures and if you are travelling on your own I would advise sand
ladders/waffle boards and a shovel, although if you are with others you
can probably leave the sand ladders at home and just take a good tow
rope.
Nothing wrong with running synthetic, although you may issues with some
seals leaking whicch sometimes happens when you change over. The only
other thing is that they are expensive and if you want to go for longer
service intervals to counter the cost, make sure you do regular oil
analysis.
What are you after? Pure driving experiences or visiting interesting
places? Also are you more interested in the mountains or the desert,
or a bit of both.
Again look for the French Ganndini guides - they have a single book
providing the Premier Pistes which provides a good bit of variety, or
you can buy the full set of 4-6 volumes detailing a stack of pistes all
over the Morocco.
Get some service parts like seals, etc from Milner Offroad
(http://www.milneroffroad.com/) in the UK and then probably other
Toyota stuff from Maarten at http://www.all-american.nl.
Personally I prefer to use Toyota for Oil and Fuel filters, brake pads
and inner axle seals, UJs and then Milner for everything else.
Hope that helps.
--
Regards,
Julian Voelcker
Mobile: 07971 540362
Skype: julianvoelcker
Cirencester, United Kingdom
1994 HDJ80, 2.5" OME Lift
 
Hi Willie,
You should get in touch with Lio Hebert, who I travelled with in Morocco - he
is just North West of Paris and speaks excellent English and should be able to
help you with suppliers - drop him a line to [Email address removed].
For maps I would look at the French IGN ones, as for routes I am sure others
can contribute here - we just drove through - something to do with 23" of snow
put us off when we were passing through in April!
You may struggle to get second hand ones - allternatively look at getting new
ones from Milner Off Road @ 65 GBP each - see
?http://www.milneroffroad.com/HDJ80.HTM
Personally I would go for the BFG ATs - these have a reputation of doing
50,000miles + and provide a good balance of on road performance and off road
grip. The BFGs aren't cheap, but worth every penny.
I have 2.5" lift on the 80 and have fitted 285/75/16 which are great although
have just gone up from 265s have noticed a drop in acceleration, although much
smoother when cruising on highways.
--
Regards,
Julian Voelcker
Mobile: 07971 540362
Skype: julianvoelcker
Cirencester, United Kingdom
1994 HDJ80, 2.5" OME Lift
 
Hi,
Quick introduction:
I am an advertising photographer from Helsinki, Finland and driving -98
HDJ100 4.2TD. It is still pretty much stock. Only mods so far are: OME 2"
lift, ARB roof rack and 255/85-16 BFG Mud Terrains. ARB winch bumper, winch,
Kaymar rear bumper, rock sliders, etc. to come. Someday.
HDJ100 is both daily driver, work horse and off road vehicle for me.
I joined this list day before yesterday. I am quite impressed of the
activity here.
Willie,
If you are driving mostly on road and occasionally off road, go for BFG ATs,
like Julian said. Or Bridgestone Duellers.
I have Duellers 31x10,5"/15 on Nissan Terrano V30. Fits nicely in with 2"
Ironman lift. Excellent both on and off road.
If you are going to drive mostly, or even much off road, go for BFG Mud
Terrains or Good Year MT/R. BFG lasts longer but Good Year is better on wet
and especially if you have to drive on icy conditions. On ice and snow MT/R
is superb. Mud Terrains are ok in city traffic. And on highways too, if you
have a good sound system to beat the rumbling noise from the tires.... ;-)
I have do not have any experience of Grabbers or Revos.
If you have stock suspension, you may have to stick in pretty much original
size. 265/75/16 is only 12mm higher than original 275/70/16. It will fit
easily on your rim.
My BFG MT 255/85/16 equals 33x10/16 in numbers. In real life it is over 30mm
higher than 33" tire. So do not rely on just calculations, ask from your
tire seller which are the real sizes.
Tire size calculation (and much more) is explained in very understandable
way in here:
http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.htm
l
(you may have to copy paste the link..)

Regards
osku
--
Oskari Hellman
Helsinki, Finland
-98 HDJ100
[Email address removed]


on 30.5.2007 20:00, Julian Voelcker at [Email address removed] wrote:
s
he
the
can
oad
ough
much
 
Hi Oskari,
Welcome to the list. We have one or two other photographers on the list
so extra bonus there!
Also good to see another 100 series owner on the list - I'm currently
looking for one for myself.
--
Regards,
Julian Voelcker
Mobile: 07971 540362
Skype: julianvoelcker
Cirencester, United Kingdom
1994 HDJ80, 2.5" OME Lift
 
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Hi Julian,
Thank you.
Actually, I am looking for a older HDJ80 or HJ61 for rough off roading.
The 100 is still in too good condition to be taken to extreme places. ;-)
osku
--
Oskari Hellman
Helsinki, Finland
-98 HDJ100
[Email address removed]
 
Thanks Osku, ,your information is very valuable
Willie Van Der Merwe
Membercare Director for
North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia
email:[Email address removed]
Tel: 33 (France) 6 25 54 05 21 (Cell)
Tel: 33 (France) 1 60 68 89 60 (Home)

-----Original Message-----
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of Oskari Hellman
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 10:51 AM
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: Re: [ELCO] TLC 80
Hi,
Quick introduction:
I am an advertising photographer from Helsinki, Finland and driving -98
HDJ100 4.2TD. It is still pretty much stock. Only mods so far are: OME 2"
lift, ARB roof rack and 255/85-16 BFG Mud Terrains. ARB winch bumper, winch,
Kaymar rear bumper, rock sliders, etc. to come. Someday.
HDJ100 is both daily driver, work horse and off road vehicle for me.
I joined this list day before yesterday. I am quite impressed of the
activity here.
Willie,
If you are driving mostly on road and occasionally off road, go for BFG ATs,
like Julian said. Or Bridgestone Duellers.
I have Duellers 31x10,5"/15 on Nissan Terrano V30. Fits nicely in with 2"
Ironman lift. Excellent both on and off road.
If you are going to drive mostly, or even much off road, go for BFG Mud
Terrains or Good Year MT/R. BFG lasts longer but Good Year is better on wet
and especially if you have to drive on icy conditions. On ice and snow MT/R
is superb. Mud Terrains are ok in city traffic. And on highways too, if you
have a good sound system to beat the rumbling noise from the tires.... ;-)
I have do not have any experience of Grabbers or Revos.
If you have stock suspension, you may have to stick in pretty much original
size. 265/75/16 is only 12mm higher than original 275/70/16. It will fit
easily on your rim.
My BFG MT 255/85/16 equals 33x10/16 in numbers. In real life it is over 30mm
higher than 33" tire. So do not rely on just calculations, ask from your
tire seller which are the real sizes.
Tire size calculation (and much more) is explained in very understandable
way in here:
http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.htm
l
(you may have to copy paste the link..)

Regards
osku
--
Oskari Hellman
Helsinki, Finland
-98 HDJ100
[Email address removed]


on 30.5.2007 20:00, Julian Voelcker at [Email address removed] wrote:
Grabbers
=A0Then
The
=A0If
the
Generals
mileage
can
doing
off
road
although
although
much
 
Willie, you are welcome.
osku
--
Oskari Hellman
Helsinki, Finland
-98 HDJ100
[Email address removed]
on 5.6.2007 10:48, Willie Van Der Merwe at [Email address removed]
wrote:
 
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