Up and Down

Olivia is pretty impressive for a 31 year old truck.

This morning early we had to do a quick dash up a mountain (all in a day's work) in heavy mist before work. Last time I handed over the steering wheel to Favourite Man as soon as we hit the dirt. This time I went up the easier bit until the first very steep slope before exiting the driver's seat. And Olivia just kept going and going and going.

OK, maybe I approached some of the ruts at the wrong angle. We "got air" once as the back tyres spun briefly. But she does make it look easy sometimes. She may be slow and ponderous, but the engine does pull nicely.

Perhaps soon I'll even get up the confidence in her capabilities to try the Scary Hill all on my own. I may ask Favourite Man to step outside and well away though, just in case I don't get it right and we roll.... Wouldn't want him tossed around!

(We did have a bit of a scare at the top of the worst hill when she popped out of 4-wheel drive briefly. Eish. That plus temperamental brakes is not a good thing.)

Heading back down we passed a Forward Control on its way up. Landies definitely rule that lump of rock.

Diesel-Petrol

A few months ago I gave Olivia an oil change. By mistake I put oil meant for diesel engines in her, instead of the petrol engine oil. Total and utter blonde day! But, as it was a rather large financial investment's worth of oil, we thought we'd go with it and see what happened.

Meantime, a thread on the Land Rover UK Forums mentioned diesel oil and petrol engines, so of course my virtual ears pricked up and I kept an eye on it. All sorts of fascinating info came out.

For one thing, diesel oil has scrubbers and cleaners in. You'd think this would be a very good thing - but perhaps not in an old Series engine. You see, sometimes a build-up of stuff helps protect the engine components (not a HUGE build-up, mind) - and scrubbing it off changes the entire way the engine functions. You start with a low compression engine, add a cleaning oil - and the compression may plummet further! You might also risk exposing problems that had been happily non-problematic under the gunge, or loosen up stuff that could damage the engine when it starts to circulate.

I've noticed the oil has gotten blacker quicker - so there is some cleaning going on in there. Also seems to need topping up regularly, but that's par for the course on a Landy. If it's not dripping oil, you don't have any.

I know these old engines are built to run on just about anything. They're made tough to deal with tough conditions, but they do still need love and attention, a careful eye to make sure they're functioning optimally. Choosing the right oil for the job is part of that.

Olivia has been going OK, as Olivia generally does. I haven't picked up any really big issues with a different oil going through her system. But I won't be diesel-oiling her petrol engine again, just in case. I'd much rather give her optimal ingredients to handle the roads she travels than take a chance.

Note to Commuters

Your need to beat me to the next traffic light with a roar of engines does not encourage an increase in speed on my part. We'll all get there at the same time anyway and I'm not putting foot to conform to your ideas of the speed limit.

Likewise, should you choose to travel in the slow lane, do not attempt to move me to the yellow line by flashing your lights, gesturing or otherwise being rude. There's a fast lane for fast cars - get into it.

If I do happen to move over and drive in the yellow line (for your convenience), it would be nice to have some sort of thanks or acknowledgement for my troubles. Also, if I indicate to get back into normal traffic to avoid a collision with a cyclist, broken down car, pedestrian or tractor transporting grapes - don't speed up and try cut me off. Be nice, be considerate, and don't make me slam on brakes until you have the chance to push past.

You may have petrol to burn in your tanks, and thus be able to ignore speed restrictions and logical gearing behaviour. I do not - I will travel at the most fuel-efficient speed for my truck, which happens to be the general 60km/hr speed limit you should be keeping to anyway. If you want to speed, don't try involve me in it.

My bumper is bigger and stronger than your plastic decorative one. You will come off second best if you cut me off. If you need to know why, you're welcome to join me for a brakes test in Olivia. Ditto for creeping up the exhaust pipe. That rear crossmember will slice your bonnet in half without feeling a jot.

You do not own the road. Driving at speed and swerving between cars is not cool. But then again, there's generally natural selection applicable to your type... Pity it usually has to involve innocent fellow-travellers and crumpled metal.

In conclusion, all I ask is that you be considerate to your fellow commuters, and if you're in a Landy - for goodness' sake wave back.

BoingBoing

Olivia is not your average smooth rider. She's a Leafer, and her reconditioned leaf springs are bouncy.

I've noticed it lately on a particular section or two of road where there are the smallest corrugations or uneven bits in the surface. If you hit them at the right speed - which is generally the reasonably-slow speed Olivia's going - you generate a "wave" effect. As you bounce up and down, you hit the next one which keeps the bounce going! Throw in a high seat box with straight up and down padding, and you look like you're on a trotting horse in the driver's seat.

A while back I was trying to explain the feel of the ride to my boss. "Oh," she said, "I guess that's like when I put my car in Sport Mode and feel the bumps". Um.. no. Not exactly. I may have to give her a lift sometime to illustrate the difference.

There are many that look down their noses at Leafers in favour of the comfortable ride of coil springs. Yes, it's nice not to feel every bump in the road, but hey - this is a Series Landy, and feeling bumps is what it's all about. However, I recently had a passenger with a full bladder on board and I don't think he appreciated the effect! :-)

That's Series Landies for you. They chug along slowly, they bounce, they bump - but they go. Generally speaking. Which is really all you need out of a vehicle anyway.

::update::
Of course Olivia is the exception to the rule - which is why new shocks are on the must-get list. :-)

Would you do this?

I wouldn't...

A Woman's Place

I know the facts, but now and then I'm still gobsmacked that in this day and age women are still shunted to the side of the campfire.

Take the manly world of 4x4 ownership, for instance. OK - I'm not your average Land Rover driving woman. For one thing, I drive a difficult bitch of a beast that is constantly threatening mutiny. For another, I don't particularly mind getting my hands dirty or my head around her issues.

Which is why I had greasy short nails and ingrained muck for a couple of months recently. And why I hardly ever wear fancy clothes when driving my Landy - you never know when you might need to get into the engine or under the chassis to check something out, which is basically impossible when you're in satin and high heels.

I'm not an expert - I'm far from an expert - but experience has taught me a thing or two about Series Landys (with Favourite Man's help, and the advice of some other very wise folk online and offline). And I'm still learning.

But now and then a situation comes along where I do know a thing or two, having been there, done that. Where I'm in a position to give a spot of advice, having found the easiest and most effective way of doing something.

Yet as a woman I'm in the minority. I'm not meant to know things. I'm probably supposed to be "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen", making the salads - not braaing the proverbial meat.

Time and time again I've found that sharing my knowledge leads to it simply being ignored. I can give long and detailed explanations, spout forth on the whys and wherefores of what someone else needs to know - but it's brushed away as the men get their word in, and their opinions get acknowledged.

Most times I simply shrug it off as "that's the way things are". I'm used to it. I'm accustomed to being ignored. But every so often it simply gets to me. And then I go blog. :-)

Dirty Girl

Olivia is not the cleanest of vehicles at the moment. She's been up a mountain twice in the last two weeks, a very dusty dirty mountain, in a manner which generated a coating of brown everywhere.

Add in early morning dewiness on the windscreen and bodywork, and she does not look at all good!

But there's a dilemma raging over this one.

Landies should look like they're doing Important Things, shouldn't they? Too clean and you're tempted to say "oh look, another bloke who likes to think he's tough, but his vehicle never goes off tar". Too dirty, and it looks like you don't care for your truck.

So Olivia's sitting at a bit of a semi-happy medium right now. Dusty - yes. But not so dirty that you can't see she's blue. Pity the windows can be a bit hard to see out of early in the morning against the rising sun.

I think my dilemma may be solved for me tomorrow. There's a massive cold front with lots of rain apparently on the way. I've sat at work watching the clouds moving in over the mountains, ever lower and thicker. By tomorrow it's going to not only be sleep-in weather, but Olivia may get a natural rinse-off standing around outside.

I only hope the wind decides to blow from all directions equally so she's thoroughly cleaned, and doesn't end up with everything sparkling except her downwind butt...

Celebrity in the House

Favourite Man has been published! One of the awesome things he made for Olivia the Landy is featured in this month's Land Rover Monthly magazine, with the photos he took of the process. Quite co-incidentally, the final page faces an ad for a commercial cubby box that looks completely inefficient next to his strong and sturdy one. :-)

I'm so proud of him I could burst. Go FaveMan!

(cross-posted to ...seekingserenity)

Sigh

There I was, happily chugging through town on the way to work with a grin on my face, when Olivia sighed. I pulled over and revved her, and she was OK. A half-kilometre down the road she sighed again. This time I headed down a side street to check things out, as I don't fancy being stuck in the middle of commute traffic on a road with no shoulder space and taxis speeding by!

Well, in the process of checking things, I tapped the fuel guage. And, instead of the wonderful fuel consumption I had been getting, the just over quarter tank that should last me another two days, the guage plummeted and hit zero.

Oh dear.

Well I trundled back slowly toward town (mostly in neutral, to the irritation of a gold-bedecked woman in a BMW behind me that obviously had a fuller tank than I did), parked up behind the library, drew a few bucks half way through town, and walked to the end of Main Road to get a couple of litres of petrol. The only other fuel stop in town seems to be closed for repairs. From there it was home to phone work and tell them I'm on my way (cellphone is currently not happy) - and then back to the petrol station to feed the hungry beast once more.

On to work, slowly. The less petrol I burn the better... which is a mission with the hills I have to conquer daily.

Olivia's called the "petroldief" (petrol thief) by Favourite Man. Today it's a name she definitely deserves.

Sigh.

Fright

I've mentioned how night driving Olivia keeps me on my toes and on edge... but what I haven't mentioned is the day-to-day frights she likes to give me.

Take this morning, for instance. I was in to work a bit later than usual after having some business to take care of elsewhere, and as I arrived and parked I noticed something dripping out of the wheel arches and off the rock sliders onto my parking place. Oh no, now what!

Drips usually mean a trip to the parts shop, once you've found what essential item has deigned to break without warning. And the very last thing I need now is another Landy parts trip.

So there I was in my work clothes on hands and knees, peering under the truck and trying to find the source of the leak. I stuck my fingers into it and smelt it - and it wasn't petrol or oil, it was water! But there's no water pipes in that area to spring leaks... what on earth IS IT????

And then I remembered. I'd just driven in through the sprayers watering the lawns outside the office gate. The road had been covered in water and I'd gotten a light misting of the windscreen that had dried by the time I got out of Olivia. But the wheels had thrown up a good deal of water from the road into the wheel arches and onto the bottom of the rock sliders - and that was now dripping off.

Sjoe. What a relief.

Right, Olivia - that's your scare for the day used up, you hear?!

Chill

Just like her human, Olivia is not fond of getting up and going to work in the dark. But the seasons are changing so rapidly lately that she's had to put on her lights when she leaves, and sometimes even gets to use her fog lights!

Of course, with the onset of colder weather, she's not only trying to be difficult by starting with effort - but she decided it's time for the fan/heater switch to break and the heater tap to stick closed.

Yes, my Series III has a heater - and it's not just engine heat through the firewall. It's a proper fan setup that uses water circulated from the radiator via an inline screw thing that's either open or closed, so once the engine starts to warm up you have warmth literally on tap!

Well, first chill in the air and suddenly she goes cold on me. The switch we thought was such a good one gets all loose and simply stops functioning! True to form, it's just before the weekend so little Ms Attention Monger can get her fair share of fiddling in. The switch we had lying around isn't a two-speed one, nor is it a perfect fit - but it's fitted. The sticking heater tap in the pipe from the radiator has been loosened by Favourite Man and is letting warmth through. Just have to remember to keep it closed tomorrow when we have a sudden blast of hot day.

Now all we need to sort out is the darn windscreen wiper on the driver's side. Before it starts raining in earnest...

Adventure with a purpose

A post on one of my email forums recently has lodged itself in the "adventure" braincell in my head and started to use up a significant portion of my imagination's RAM.

There's a few blokes heading off on a 4x4 trip to Botswana, which is nothing new. Guys go places every weekend! But these guys are going to "find the Lost City of the Kalahari" as mentioned in 1883, sought for by Allan Paton, and brought to life in a Wilbur Smith novel.

OK, so they probably won't find it. Scientists and expeditioneers have sought it in vain, and zooming around in Google Earth yields nothing. But still - what a good excuse for a trip to the desert!

And that got me thinking. Too often our road trips and our away-treks involve simply going to somewhere and then coming back again. We may have mini-adventures along the way by accident, or take in some sights, or do the tourist thing in parts unknown, but we've lost that sense of "let's go find new lands!" that started the whole itchy feet characteristic generations ago, and which today makes some of us squirm at our deskjobs.

Look at guys like Livingstone, or more recently David Attenborough. They went on quests to find the different, the unexplored, the unknown - and experience one hell of an adventure in the process.

So perhaps we can't all grab National Geographic Society funding, or get the BBC to back up our travels. But there are places and purposes that we all too often ignore in favour of just "going somewhere".

Me, I think it's time to get a different mindset going for Olivia's travels. Even if it means chasing after a legendary city or lost habitat. ESPECIALLY if it means just that. It's time to recapture the sense of wonder, the search for the mysterious and the interesting. Go off the beaten track and be amazed.

Which reminds me... there's rumours of a plain of fossilized dinosaur eggs, and forgotten trade route civilizations somewhere in the Gobi Desert. There's the Mountains of the Moon with landscapes seldom seen and pockets of vegetation with undiscovered species. There's the deserted mansion in the forests of the DRC - and the strange patches of grass where the forest ends and mountains begin. There's the hidden oases in the Sahara where crocodiles thrive.

I feel a rather lengthy road-trip coming on! :-)

The Landy Wave

The Landy Wave is a strange thing - and it fascinates non-Landy drivers to no end.

You see, if you drive a Landy, you are required to wave at other Landy drivers on the road. This can be done enthusiastically with big grins (as when two Series drivers cross paths), sedately and sophisticatedly (as when two men greet each other with the "man nod" - a dropping of the chin without too much smiling), or by raising a few fingers as you pass (which some reckon indicates the number of oil leaks on your vehicle to the other driver - in which case, some of us need to wave with our toes too).

But not every Landy driver seems to know the rule.

Anyone driving something newer than a 90's Defender seems to be immune to other Landy folk - or just plain stuck-up. Well, generally speaking. There are exceptions.

Then there are the 130 Double-Cab drivers - only one of whom has ever bothered to wave back, even though we're driving similarly kitted-out vehicles, with an apparent passion for the marque. But apparently not a passion for the Landy community.

There's the Disco and Freelander Moms - those who use their vehicles for kid-carry only, and who have probably never noticed that they're driving LAND ROVERS, or that some idiot in a Series III is trying to wave at them. In fact, I've only ever once had another woman wave at me...!

But I think I've figured out the problem with the non-wavers, and it's not just a single issue:

1. They may be first-time Landy owners who have no idea what the Wave Tradition is. They may simply have bought one because it serves their purpose or their image - without having a forgone passion for Land Rovers in general. (These may also be the blokes who sell them and buy Toyotas :-) ) It's a status vehicle or was a good idea at the time. There's no sense of history, and Landies definitely aren't part of the family.

2. Those new vehicles are very "cushy". You have a radio you can hear, you have soundproofing so the outside world and the engine bay don't intrude. You may have tinted windows - seperating you from the rest of the road users. You probably have comfortable seats and (dry) carpeting underfoot. So you're in your own little world, and simply don't notice passersby. Quite the opposite when you're not only trying to prevent deafness over engine noise, but going slowly enough to actually look at your surroundings as you drive.

3. It's much easier to notice a fellow-overlander with his pimped ride than a run-of-the-mill commute car - and sometimes those newer Landies do unfortunately fall into the latter category. Discos are a dime a dozen on the roads, but I have yet to see another Landy that looks like Olivia. Anywhere. She stands out, as do a few others I've seen around town, and those are the blokes who always wave.

4. There's the stuck-up problem. "I drive a better car so I'm not going to stoop to your level". This is a sure indicator that the driver is not a Landy Person, but merely a Landy Driver.

5. They could be having a bad day. Hey, it happens. You're distracted by the constant drip of rain on your accelerator foot, or you've had to push the beast out of a puddle when Lucas the Prince of Darkness struck your electrics, or you're simply concentrating really hard on maintaining your braking distance (a serious matter in most Landies). Not everyone starts to smile when they get in the driver's seat - and sometimes you'd rather be left in peace to mumble and grumble about your damn truck than acknowledge a happy Landy driver with not a care in the world.

But still - I think every Landy should come with the sticker at the top of this post, which a Landy group in the Netherlands (I think) has had printed up. Every new owner needs to be aware of the Landy Wave - before the Jeep blokes overtake us in friendliness, helpfulness and community spirit (yah.. right....).

E-shopping

One of the things that attracted me to old Land Rover ownership was that this is the quintessential African vehicle - that it's been used throughout the continent and you'll always find spares for it.

Or at least that's the theory. Reality is you spend ages trying to source stuff!

Wouldn't it be nice if you could get Land Rover parts online? If you didn't have to phone the world and find a trusty supplier at a decent price, but could simply go to a central website, check the cost, order and pay online - and get the stuff the next day, delivered to your door.

Of course that's not going to happen.

For one thing, Landy parts are all too often "recycled". You find a bloke with a scrapyard, go dig through his shelves and piles of metal, and haul out a forgotten but apparently still working part to stick on your truck. Or you take a bit off someone else who is upgrading or changing things. Such is the joy of having Mecano-set vehicles. Mix & match. But this way you get something that does or doesn't work, no guarantees.

And then there's the "quick, everyone make a buck!" thing. Where, to get a proper new Landy part, you have to go via an official dealer - and what costs you 8p in the UK suddenly comes in at R40 here! With difficulty. There will be umming and aahing before you manage to squeeze something out of them. And they'll charge you exorbitant amounts simply because they know you can't get it elsewhere. Customer service? Not a priority.

Then there's the friend-of-a-friend option, who knows a good guy on the inside who has contacts with LR and can source all sorts of goodies. Usually. But he may not be able to come up with that one part unavailable from everyone else.

Hence my desire for an online site to price things (new or used), check availability, order and get. One that's cost-effective and not a rip-off. One that can source exactly what you want and get it to you without hassle. Perhaps even one where that bloke who has been stockpiling parts for years suddenly lists everything he has for the rest of us to buy.

And why do I want this? Because I am about to phone the local Land Rover dealer for parts pricing again, and we all know how that went last time.....

Photoblog: Road-trip

Olivia is looking SO good these days. This was taken on a bit of a road-trip this past weekend, way out at Rooiels (which turned out to be a nasty, nasty place).

She also got a little bit of "hill descent" in... :-)

Surprise!

Every now and then Olivia likes to surprise us. Just to check that we're paying attention, you know.

On Saturday evening we toddled off to Gordons Bay along the N2 in the face of a stiff wind. When suddenly the bonnet flew up! Big fright all round, and a quick pull-over to close it, then a slow drive to a safe side road to fix it. Good thing the toolbox always goes with us.

The bonnet closure is a pretty simple device. It's a pointed bolt that screws into a nut located on the other side of a lip of metal - the spring goes between nut and end of the bolt, and the point of the bolt goes down into the bodywork. Nothing overly fancy about it.

But the nut had ripped through its hole under pressure from the prevailing gale, leaving the closing mechanism down in the bodywork! Sjoe.

Well we managed to get it back in and tightened - at least Favourite Man did, at the expense of his palm which had to push the pointy bit of the bolt with force up into the bonnet again. Back home he put on an extra washer between nut and metal lip to keep it on the right side of the bonnet, and included a bit of Locktite so it won't come loose again.

We lost one of the rubber bushes that surround the bonnet hinge in the process, but I'm glad it wasn't any worse. It could have been a complete and utter disaster.

We're awake now Olivia - you don't have to try that again.

Buzzed

It's been a week of waiting. Favourite Man's Discovery II is in dire need of a back brakes system sort-out, so we needed to:

1. Find Brake Pads
2. Have discs skimmed
3. Find the screw that attaches the hub to everything else - which for some very strange reason had fallen out or gone missing on one wheel!

Well we got stuck at point #3. You'd think Land Rover dealers would keep stock of that particular item, as it's relevant to the entire range of Landies and kinda essential to keeping the wheels rolling. Literally.

But no, it had to be ordered in. And that's where the jello hit the fan, spraying liberally around the entire area and turning everything lemon flavoured.

First, they got the part number wrong. Although I gave them the right one, they wrote it down with two letters switched. So they ordered the wrong part! We then gave them a screenshot of what was required and they tried again, assuring me it would be ready for collection at midday yesterday. In good faith I arranged time off work to go get it, then move along to the rest of the requirements. Unfortunately it hadn't arrived when I turned up....

Being somewhat stubborn (just ask Favourite Man! ;-) ) I parked my cool Landy outside their premisis and settled in with a handy book to wait for delivery. Two hours later it still hadn't arrived and I was sent home with the promise that the driver would deliver later that day.

Well we finally got the darn thing this morning. 4 days of struggle for one blerry screw.

Nevertheless, that is all side-show stuff to the point of this particular post. So let me get on with it.

While sitting and waiting in my cool Landy, I was subjected to a Buzzing.

You see, there was a lovely dark grey-green 110 Defender that pulled in to the Land Rover dealership and spent some time doing whatever it was they'd turned up for. Once done, two guys got into the truck and drove off. They happened to glance over to where Olivia was quietly parked across the street in the shade - all unobtrusive-like. And they must have liked what they saw.

They went around the block and drove past her to look again. Then turned and went the opposite way down the street, still looking. In my rear-view mirror I saw them turn again, and yup - come past and ogle. By this time I was starting to giggle. And it turned into full-blown guffaws when they did one MORE drive-by! :-)

That wasn't the end of it. Before I left, I had to duck in to the dealership to talk to the bloke in charge. When I came out, the 110 had returned...! And did one more drive-by.

There's one word for it, a very nice South African word. EISH.

But that's Olivia for you - attracts attention everywhere, and even gets waves from Toyota drivers.

Then this morning I trundled in a bit late to work. My first vehicular challenge is a steep hill leading out of town. And being on the heavy side (2 tons or more - the truck, not me!), getting Olivia up that hill takes some doing. It's a case of pulling over into the yellow line area to let fast folk past, then settling in using 3rd gear and admiring the view as she moseys up the slope.

Today I had to pull back out into the normal lane to pass a BMW SUV-type beast towing a trailer that had stopped to check his load. Being on a slow trundle, I had time to greet the driver with a small smile as I wandered past. Then noticed him staring at Olivia and grinning in the mirror.

A few minutes later he came by in his fast car, nodded and smiled at both me and Olivia at length, and he was off.

I think I just got buzzed again... :-) By a closet Landy Person, perhaps?

Photoblog: Tortoise and Hare?

Trek 'n Track

Olivia has a new gadget. OK, not terribly new - it's been installed for 2 weeks already, but it's taken some sorting out to get placement etc right.

I work for a company that does fleet management - they develop and sell computerized units that sit in a vehicle and measure anything and everything that can be measured. Of course when new products come out, staff are required to do a bit of testing. Which is why Olivia ended up with an FM Protector unit plumbed into her electrics.

Installation stated "do not place this under metal". Umm... yeah.... the Landy IS metal - all over! But we eventually found a suitable spot where it could detect satellites (it runs on GSM/GPRS & GPS), added the speaker, and could see Olivia online!



So now Favourite Man can track wherever I trek - can see what speed I'm doing, if I suddenly stop (crash detect - we hope not!), can even run and hide evidence that he's eaten all the fudge before I arrive at home! :-) Or simply phone to ask why I'm driving around in circles...

It's a very nifty gadget. It can pour forth all sorts of information - not just on route travelled, but also things like angle of incline and distance covered. It automatically detects a trip start and end. It updates itself over the air with any new firmware etc. It can send an SMS and email for all sorts of events or alerts. Brilliant little black box, this.

So now Olivia's trekking and tracking. What a good excuse for a road trip!

Whiff

Last Wednesday the price of petrol went up by the steepest jump yet. 61c a litre. We're now paying over R8 for a litre of lead-replacement juice, and on a beast like Olivia that makes travel very very expensive.

Commuting too.

I had decided I'd take my chances and fill up on the way home from work just before the price went up. By the time I got to work Olivia was running low - and in spite of possessing three tanks it doesn't help if all of them are empty! So right after work I toddled off to the petrol station right next door to the office.

To find they were completely out of fuel.

Dilemma. Next fuel stop is 10km or so away. Or I could go in the opposite direction for a km or two, risk running out of fuel getting there, and find they're also out. Meaning I'd be left with even less to go on!

Well I weighed up options and decided to rather head home-wards, slowly. Very slowly. Keeping those revvs way down and coasting downhill where I could (never a good idea in a Landy, especially one with servo-assisted brakes...). Up the last big hill watching the fuel gauge hover up and down by the Empty line. And then down to the first petrol station I could find.

Which was also out of fuel.

Eish.

It's another 3km or so through town to home - rush-hour, stop-start traffic all the way! And two more possible fuel filling options.

The first had a queue around the block. By the time I got to the front of it, I would either have run out of petrol - or they would have.

The second had a queue out into Main Road. Same story.

So very carefully and slowly I took the last chance of the day and drove home. On the last whiff of petrol I'm sure!

A day later, driving the Fancy Landy (Favourite Man's Disco), I stopped by the petrol station that had had a queue around the block to squirt a few buck's petrol into a jerry can for the LRP-snorting beast. I was greeted by two petrol attendants who had nothing to do - everyone filled up already except me. I got quite possibly the best customer service I'll have all year.

With this horrible price increase one starts to watch the "joy rides" closely - to monitor what is absolutely necessary, and to consider telecommuting. Unfortunately we're assured of another, even bigger increase within the month. Unless you're a high-powered, high-paid executive type commuter with a SmartCar, the daily trek is starting to seem beyond the Common Man's means.... yet the Common Man has to get to work to get paid so they can fill up their tanks. It's a vicious, unaffordable circle.

As is food, electricity, and quite possibly the air we breathe. Where this will end is anyone's guess. But perhaps the days of Expeditions is rapidly coming to an end except for the privileged.

Attention monger

Olivia is developing a very bad habit. As Friday approaches, she starts seeking attention. Things begin to collapse in anticipation of an extra two full days during which she can demand mollycoddling.

Last weekend it was the fuel filter that inexplicably attempted to drop off.

This weekend it was brakes.

Come Thursday, the brakes started to come and go. There was metallic screeching every time you pressed them too hard. And pressing them could go either way - too hard or too soft. Then on Friday night, while picking up our weekly "slap chips" treat, there was an ominous CLONK. It sounded as if something large and metal had snapped off, leaving my son's head hitting the door and my elbow hitting the window. Anxious inspection revealed nothing broken. It may simply have been the angle of the road we hit, or things knocking around in the back. Or so we hope...

Nevertheless, Favourite Man took the beast for quick long-block test drive - and confirmed that the brakes were being silly. So the wheel and hub cap on the worst-sounding one came off, a video of the brake movement was make, and our online experts were consulted. We cleaned off some brake-dust, stuck the wheel back on .. and guess what.

Olivia's back to normal. Generally speaking.

She would be. The weekend's over and she's not going to get a lot of attention for the next few days. So she plays along nicely, and starts to plot her next weekend emergency.

Darn attention monger.

Gush

On Friday night Favourite Man and I headed off in Olivia to take the kid to the church youth group. Barely out of the gate we both smelt petrol, and the kid stated "we've sprung a leak!". Oh dear...

We pulled off the road very quickly to find petrol gushing out of the engine bay - way too close to the engine block for comfort - emptying out in a river from the fuel filter. Well we organized a quick lift for the kid and limped home to do things we hadn't planned on doing on a Friday night.

Worklight in hand, spanners at the ready, I got my fuel-dousing and took the filter out to find problems. Favourite Man took all the bits off the bulkhead too and we had a good look at the thing.

The screw was stripped. The only screw that holds the filter into its lid and keeps the whole thing together! I have no idea how that happened - the inside is just completely smooth, no thread available to grip.

Much scratching of heads resulted - and the upshot of it was a trip to Autozone to get a different kind of filter, which we then plumbed inline to the system - leaving the old one to be repaired one day and used as a spare. The new one is easier to get to - and is working well so far.

It never rains, but it pours with this truck. And sometimes it pours petrol.

Going like stink

Well there's good news and bad news.

The bad news - the carb came out for the FIFTH time this weekend. I was so not lus to take it out, but it had to be done. This time I set it by the book. Unfortunately I also got badly munched when the driver's door slammed on my finger in the wind... which put an end to car work for the day.

But she's starting better and running smoother.

The good news - today Favourite Man and I sorted out spark plugs, HT leads and the distributor. She goes like STINK now - loads of power, no more hassles at low revvs or lack of getting up the smallest hill.

OK, so there's still other things needing attention. The radiator needs removal, professional check-through and cleaning. The valve clearances need sorting to sort out the tappety noise in the engine. The back diff needs a look-at and possible overhaul or replacement.

But I'm happier with how she's running today than I have been in a very long time.

The Cool Truck

This weekend's trip to Cape Town reminded me again what a very cool truck I'm driving.

If I'm in the Disco 2, it's just another vehicle on the road. No-one waves at you, no-one notices you go by.

Completely different story in Olivia!

She potters along, so traffic tends to build up behind her on narrow roads. You'd think this would irritate the masses, but we found the opposite. Those falling-apart cars full of locals? They came past hooting and waving and smiling. We got lifted-hand acknowledgement (and respec' !) from other Landy drivers. While parked up at Big Bay one woman walking by commented "when I grow up I want to drive a Landy".

DAMN, this truck is awesome.

Just this morning I was trundling along the commute route when a Pajero-driver in the next lane rolled down his window and shouted "check that clutch leg! I used to have two of those trucks" (in Afrikaans.. approximate translation). I have to admit, you do build leg muscles on the clutch. :-)

The security guards at the complex know my truck - boom gates open while you're still on the approach stretch. They told Favourite Man earlier this week "we like this truck".

Think about it - do you get the same happy reaction driving your Toyota bakkie, or a little Mazda 323, your run-of-the-mill LR Defender, or even a classig MG? Nope.

This truck's seen as fun, as cool, as something folk might dream of owning one day. They may have no idea about the engine struggles, the parts difficulties, the endless turning of the damn carb behind the scenes - but they see Olivia and go "wow".

Who wouldn't. She's awesome!

Duning

Well, duning in a very small way. Here's what Olivia got up to this weekend:

Wish I knew

There are so many things I wish I knew when it comes to working on Olivia:

* I wish I knew exactly how to set that carb. I'm fiddling in the dark (sometimes literally), going by feel and ear - but if I've actually got it right? Dunno.

* I wish I knew something about ignition timing. Or that bottom-of-the-flywheel timing. I read, I watched - but I still don't get it.

* I wish I knew how every single part in that 2.6 engine worked and how to tweak it to optimum performance.

* I wish I knew exactly what is going on with the clutch.

There's only one thing to it. Time to up the learning.

The "secret weapons"

Remember I mentioned a while back that Olivia's sills/rocksliders had "secret weapons" - a little surprise in them that you don't usually find in such things?

Check this out! LED bolts that shine when the running lights and roofrack LEDs are on too! Yet another of Favourite Man's awesome innovations.





If you can't see us coming now, you're VERY blind! :-)

10-minute job

I mentioned yesterday that the carb came out for a gasket renewal. It really should have been a 10-minute job to remove it, stick in the gasket and get it re-attached. Most of the time is usually spent on tuning the thing, setting the idle speed and mix.

However, life with a Landy is never simple.

That 10-minute job took 2 days (part-time)!

First, there were issues with o-rings. The one on the main bottom bolt was sitting way too loose, and I suspected that was causing the leak. It was replaced on the way home yesterday - but then I found that the inner bolt o-ring was also shot. More than... it has completely disintegrated! It seems that particular version of rubber and petrol do not mix well. However, there was still one more o-ring in place, so I took my chances and put the thing back together (while attempting to cook supper at the same time - nothing like a bit of multitasking).

As darkness fell, the carb went in. Only to come right out again 15 minutes later when the bottom bolt fell out during setting - showering me in the contents of the float chamber as I lay beneath the beast.

Back to the kitchen, and between the remains of supper it was re-assembled. I really dislike having to work in the dark by extension light, bothering the neighbours with the sound of tinkering and tuning - but last night I had no choice.

Finally, at 9:45, smelling like petrol and oil, I was done. The carb may not be professionally tuned, but it's working - and one final idle-speed adjustment after the commute to work has it ticking over more than sufficiently.

However, I'm now placing a ban on 10-minute jobs after work.. :-) They never end up sticking to that schedule anyway.

Practice makes perfect

The carb is out for the THIRD time on Olivia. The first one was an expert "showing me how it's done" (and breaking it). The second was fixing and adjusting everything properly thereafter. And now the third shot.

We struggled to find one of the carb gaskets here in South Africa and had to order them from the UK over December. Of course the Xmas post took a while to arrive, but it's here now - along with a choke cable clip that was also impossible to source in SA.

So last night the carb came out again, I got to smell like petrol - and discovered a problem (par for the course when it comes to Landy-fixing). One of the o-rings on the adjusting screw is way too big, it's sitting loose. That explains the leakage under the carb, and perhaps a bit of why our fuel consumption is horrific.

So on the way back from work today it's time to go find a new one, one that fits properly, and then re-assemble the carb. The hardest part of the process is:

1. Getting the bottom bolts back on and tight enough against the engine block, and
2. Setting the mix correctly. It's a bit of trial and error to find the right level, and I'm kinda playing it by ear. I've got the manual, I've read the instructions - but you still have to do it by feel.

It's another of those learning curves, those tasks I would never have dared tackle a year ago, but which now are ho-hum routine.

And that never ceases to amaze me.

Coming down from the top

Olivia's had some pretty huge changes in recent months. Many of them are subtle - if you didn't take a good hard look before, you wouldn't know the difference now - but they're there.

However, today there's a very big change. She's going topless. Her rooftop tent has been sold.

And why? Well for many reasons. But the main one is that it's time for something new, something that works with the plans we have for her. The replacement tent is not going to be a rooftop one, but nearer ground-level. And after a few times of struggling with tent setup and collapse I'm all for that. I came VERY close to falling off the top of her last night while alone at home...

Her profile has been permanently changed now. The big square bump on her roofrack is gone, along with 50kg or so of weight. It's going to see service elsewhere, on other adventures, but for Olivia it's a new chapter.

One more change on the long road to Sorted. The next big one is even scarier... watch this space!


---------------------

(She also got new sills/rocksliders yesterday - they were fabricated near the end of last year, but yesterday they were re-attached, finished, galvanized and appropriately reflective-taped. There's also a little surprise in them, a unique touch that I'm looking forward to seeing once fully complete)

Mechanically-minded

A funny thing's happened since I started working on Olivia nearly a year ago. I've started to think I'm omnipotent. Well, mechanically omnipotent that is (stop laughing, Favourite Man...).

A year ago I trembled at the thought of what was in that engine, and had never weilded an angle grinder nor half the amount of spanners that have been through my hands since. And it's given me a bit of confidence that I could actually develop this interest into something more comprehensive.

See this post over at ...seekingserenity, for example. Madness, the idea of building a supercar yourself (especially for a chick who doesn't have a garage at home but does have neighbours who don't appreciate mechanical bits in the front yard). Then again, equally mad is taking your truck apart with Favourite Man and putting it back together again, better than ever, within 4 months.

But here's the thing. I've always had an interest in mechanical tinkering. I love knowing how things work, and that I can fix whatever breaks or improve on what's already there. I have aspirations of getting my truck running so smoothly, so fuel-efficiently, that the world will stand in awe (OK, perhaps not the world - just one or two folk if I'm lucky - just me, if I'm not). I'm feeling mechanically omnipotent - if I can learn how my truck functions, I can learn how all sorts of things function, and I could.actually.make.things! Lots of things. I could modify stuff and pimp stuff and fix stuff and restore stuff, and perhaps even work on a few of my hare-brained ideas that seem impossible or just plain stupid to the casual bystander.

There are days where I'd much rather be greasily petrol-flavoured, struggling along with something metal or engine-like in a workshop than typing at a desk. Many days, in fact. If I could clone myself I'd be taking both a carb and a distributor apart right now. I'd be sorting out an oil cooler. Fiddling with the welder. But it's a bit hard to do in an airconditioned formal environment and good clothes.

A little knowledge is dangerous I guess, as it leads to a hunger for more, a desire to push further with skills and knowledge, to fly in the face of convention and just go DO all that you've dreamt, even if you're a chick. Fortunately for those around me I have to bring home the (mostly vegetarian) bacon - so simply can't spend my days covered in EP90 nor upping the electricity bill and irritating the neighbours.

But hey - it doesn't stop me from feeling omnipotent.

Did you know...

... that Olivia's roofrack comes with a camera tripod mount? Brilliant stuff - and I'm getting over my fear of heights / rocking.rolling too! :-)

Tenting tonight

Yup, got the tent up! It was the first thing to be removed when I started this whole renovation process many months ago. It hasn't been opened since - but now it's re-mounted. Repositioned, with new support bars, completely sorted.

And the kid got first go at spending a night in it (with some strong-arming persuasion and bribery). My turn's coming....

The list

Sitting looking at Olivia recently, Favourite Man and I started to list the things we've sorted/fixed/added/taken away on Olivia. And it's absolutely incredible what we've achieved in 4 or so months!

I'm going to try list the things completed thus far here, though trawling my Picasa albums (here and here) might give a better indication of jobs we've done. Starting at the front:

• Bumper modifications: cut down, sandblasted & galvanized, fog lights and fog light guards, tow hitch receiver and pin, vise securing point, new spotlight bar & spotlights (used the square ones originally on the roofrack), Moz triangle & reflective tape, re-inforcing inside
• Lights: headlight grilles galvanized, new running light covers & bulbs, wiring sorted, light protectors secured with rivnuts, emergency flasher wiring connected to indicators
• Grille area: grille repainted, ciggie lighter socket on exterior, new air horns, DIN plug just inside bonnet & cutoff switch for Anderson (Brad Harrison) plug in engine bay
• Wings: holes closed with grommets, interior of wings painted black / protected, air intake for fan/heater painted and rivnutted in
  
• Wheels/Tyres: all tyres & tubes checked & rotated, rims sandblasted and epoxy coated - including spares and one extra rim
• Bonnet: spare carrier sandblasted and galvanized (and repaired), new support rubbers for spare, new sealing rubbers around bonnet, latch fixed, new rubbers for hinges
  
• Windscreen: new windscreen acquired, sandblasted, epoxy-coated and inserted (with one new pane), new left windscreen wiper, new wiper blades, wiper washers work, air vents below windscreen got new rubber seals all round
  
• Engine bay: Anderson (Brad Harrison) plug installed, new vacuum advance rubber, new oil hose/seal, carb sorted/cleaned, thicker wiring from alternator - upgraded alternator!, new wiring looms, assorted relays and a fuse box, new solenoid, heater/fan unit fixed & replaced, new washer pump, washer jets and tubes sorted out, wiring run in protective tubing, more wiring wrapped with insulation tape, clutch cylinder looked at (still to be sorted out), entire engine cleaned (by hand), oil changed (twice), radiator flushed, thermostat fixed/modified, new choke switch, choke secured
  
• Axle/Hub level: everything cleaned, front leafsprings reconditioned, spring hanger bushes replaced (*shudder*), new steering damper, brakes adjusted, axle & diff oils replaced, axles & diffs painted/protected, back hub oil seal replaced, back axles checked, new back hub gaskets inserted
• Underside: cleaned, painted/protected, petrol tanks sorted (main and spare removed and cleaned), sender units for tanks checked and/or replaced, tank gaskets on, spare tank modified and fabricated to be refit, wiring run all over the place in protective tubing
• Back crossmember: modified to take new fog light, emergency flashers, re-aligned tow plug, brand new tow hitch (custom-made), extra strengthening inside, wiring redone and secured
• Back door area: new door seals, back door interior floor strip galvanized, window guard removed, lock fixed, door height and lock adjusted to close properly, back side windows removed and replaced with chequerplate, new spare cover, numberplate light, reverse light, new light guard (custom-made), all light guards galvanized, high-level emergency flasher lights, old reflective tape removed, hi-lift jack back in its place, new stickers for "80", "ZA" and new call VHF sign "Z117", numberplate properly secured, exterior ciggie lighter socket on back side
  
• Roofrack: removed, cut down, sandblasted, galvanized, ladder & attachments all round galvanized, wiring run inside back to front for lights etc., tripod mounts added, new support struts welded in, aerial supports welded in, back work light support plate and light attached, exterior ciggie lighter plug and switch on work light, supports for axe & spade crafted, axe & spade modified and pimped & securely attached, awning back on & checked, awning locked to roofrack, front spots (x4), front LEDs (custom-made! x4), aerials (VHF, 29MHz, 2x cellphone, GPS), numberplate moved to roofrack on galvanized plate & properly secured
• Roof: new bolts for safari roof, old reflective tape removed, perished gutter mastic removed and replaced with silicone
  
• Windows: all chequerplate removed, back right window glass removed & replaced with chequerplate, rivet holes sealed, stickers on side back window (overland.co.za, tracks4africa, LROC membership, ORRA membership), window locking mechanism on driver's side fixed
• Doors: new rubber seals all round, new door bolts where necessary, new shims, all doors aligned as best possible, inside of doors painted black to match interior, handles etc painted silver with cold galv, mirrors tightened up and checked
  
• Interior: roof lining removed & cleaned, interior roof painted with protectacoat & checked for leaks, all old storage removed along with aluminium runners and gutter-level shelving, stainless steel water tank removed & hole plugged, all old wiring removed (especially that to the second battery...). Second battery relocated into back wheel-arch along with fuse box (x2), inverter, Anderson (Brad Harrison) plug, interior ciggie lighter socket, switch for exterior ciggie lighter, relays and wiring points from the front. New back interior light and fixed above-seats light, new wiring to two points behind the C-pillar (one for inverter-fed 3-point plug, switch and indicator light, other for 3-point ciggie light socket). Everything including and forward of the back footwells protectacoated black. Seats reupholstered, under-seat panels sandblasted and painted black, panel above transfer box removed, new inertia-reel seatbelts and seatbelt stalks. Secure box made to fit over transfer box sunk into seat box (safe & cubby still being made), extra wiring run for future use inside box, temporary top made. All levers & pedal stalks repainted, new tops for red/yellow, reverse light switch wired in to gear lever, spring for clutch pedal. New centre dashboard made, wired up (with LOTS of stuff! see pic), new switches on main dash for washer units, fan/heater, all switches checked, a couple of bits replaced (sender unit), speedo cable removed & greased & works!, brights indicator light replaced, new oil pressure & temp guages, new dashboard plumbing for heating/cooling, dash top re-upholstered, GPS mount secured, new indicator stalk, steering wheel reconditioned & painted, connection point for laptop/GPS, LifeHammer attached to bulkhead, VIN plates re-attached, new cut-off switch on bulkhead for second-battery starting, torch mounts re-attached to bulkhead. Shelf above windscreen painted, strengthened, wiring run to front, 29Mhz radio with new speaker, map light on shelf bottom, rear-view mirror re-attached, wiring for cellphones and GPS run, WorldSpace radio wiring run & bracket secured.
  
• Various: all locks checked and "smoothed" to operate properly, every bolt & nut that can be is galvanized, spares sorted - old stuff chucked and new stuff categorized, new toolbox (yay! :-) ), essential items in ammo boxes in Olivia for daily travel.

A lot of these seem like minor items - but typing out something like "wiring run for hazards" doesn't begin to cover the time and money spent, the hassles behind the job, the do and re-do that crops up or the "yet another problem" uncovered along the way. To have done all this in a mere few months is a Very Big Thing, and the fact that Favourite Man has done it basically single-handedly while I trudge off to the office each day is absolutely enormous!

The project's not done yet. There's rocksliders being manufactured as I type this, there's the cubby box to organize, there's storage and layout to sort still. There are issues with the engine (will have to replace it sooner rather than later) and tyres (new ones urgently required), there is a horrific fuel consumption to fix, and the main petrol tank remains in the back yard awaiting its turn at re-insertion. There are a few other goodies that will be added - a high-level brake light is required, the roofrack needs chequerplate flooring - and there's always something that needs fixing.

But that's the list off the top of my head. And what a list it is.

Photoblog: Lights

This amazing pic courtesy Favourite Man, who definitely has an eye for the perfect shot

Wow

The Land Rover Monthly magazine, January 2008 edition is out. Olivia has a 2-page spread around p 160...!

Wow. She's famous!

Ride Baby!

This is the vehicle I'm driving today. A UK-registered 300TDi that's seen some hard adventure action.





Nope, I haven't traded in the O-beast. She's sitting at home, carb-less thanks to an experiment in reconditioning by the owner of the above vehicle last night, which left her unable to go anywhere until certain things are fixed.... So today I'm driving his truck while he's overnighting in Cape Town.

The truck was shipped out by a 70-ish-old couple from the UK for their third 6-month trip in it, arriving and leaving from Namibia. It's dusty, it's dirty, it's got things that are threatening to part company with each other and the truck, it's fully overland kitted, it's been-there-done-that. It's a serious Landy, a REAL Landy.

It's my first shot at Defender driving, and my first experience with the 300TDi engine. I'm impressed with the power it has - even loaded down that much it tackled hills that both Olivia and Favourite Man's Discovery 2 TD5 can't handle well. The 5-speed gearbox and close gear changes took some getting used to, but it moves excellently. And needless to say it's the coolest thing on in traffic today :-)

Never-ending Story

Nope not the movie(s). The ongoing saga of fixing up Olivia. We signed off the big jobs last week and have had to redefine what to do with our spare time ever since! Well, sorta...

You see - this is a Land Rover. An old Land Rover - and something is always falling apart, failing, unexpectedly giving up or springing a leak. Leaks were the Big Thing this week - namely the discovery that the Safari roof is leaking at the join with the body in the gutter. All the old waterproofing putty stuff is either missing, cracked or peeling off. So it's been hauled out with a few impliments of torture and silicone inserted all-round.

Or it would be if the rain hadn't decided to unseasonally cause local flooding, close highways, and generally dump half the ocean on us. So now we wait for the seam to dry out, hoping it doesn't rain any more. The good news is that the little bit we did works well - but we'd really like to get this thing behind us!

Meantime there's electrics to sort out. There's random unexplained issues that keep cropping up. And there's still a rear fuel tank in the back yard.

One never runs out of things to do when one owns a Landy...

Tip Jar

There's a new button to the right of this blog - a MoneyBookers "tip jar". Planning Olivia's adventures is turning into an expensive business and I've realized I can't do it alone. If you'd like to contribute to keeping the adventures coming, leave her a tip! The more tips, the more adventures - and the more you'll have to read right here... :-) You can send your tip in any currency, from anywhere in the world.

Olivia thanks you - see you off the beaten track!

::update::
So.. what's in it for you? Well, for a donation of 10GBP/USD or more, I'll send you something by Real Snail Mail from the adventure you helped to fund. It could be a postcard, it could be an item found along the way, it could be anything! Go on - when last did you get snail mail? :-)

On the road again

Yes, it's true - Olivia is back on the road! We completed the final big jobs last night, took her for a celebratory test drive to a rather wind-swept beach, checked the spotlight focus, and this morning I drove her to work.

She's heavier, she's WAY cooler, she's pimped out properly, and she starts immediately. She's a very different truck. There are still a few small jobs awaiting attention, but she's no longer standing forlonely around in pieces. She's smartly footing it down the roads, daring any BMW driver to cut in front of her (beware the lights, the "fog horn" hooter, the really strong bumper...).

Favourite Man has done awesome things on that truck. He's put blood, sweat and tears into her. She's a ride worthy of admiration from all! And I'm grinning again.


I'm also starting to plan some adventures, dream again. There's some very good stuff in store.

Coming together

Olivia's coming together very quickly! Last night the renewed roofrack went on. Every day we're another step closer to being back on the road... and making one helluva impression in the process.

Missed

August 29. That's the last time I drove Olivia (doorless / to work). Nearly 2 months.

I've nearly forgotten what it's like to drive her - how she feels, how she responds, the instinctive turning circle calculations required on entering or exiting a parking space. I've nearly forgotten the noise, the heat radiating through the firewall, the feel of every bump in the road, the sensation of being overtaken by all except the slowest trucks. I've nearly forgotten the rush, the pleasure, the absolute joy of driving my very cool Landy.

I miss her.... but it's not long now. At least I hope so.

Letting Go

I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic today.

Last week Olivia's old windscreen went to the scrap metal recylcers. It was so shot full of rust that there was no chance of rescuing it or reselling it. The new windscreen doesn't have a unusually thick middle bit, nor does it flap down. It's not army green inside and blue outside, it doesn't leak. There are no handles at odd places to move things, nor screws and bolts to control the flap. Just an expanse of glass that's pretty panoramic by comparison!

I'm all nostalgic over that windscreen, although I do like the new one muchly.

Today the hooter went to a new owner - it's been replaced with the loudest air horns you'll ever hear, which we keep setting off by accident when leaning across to do things on the dash. That's Olivia's old voice gone - to a very good home, and another Olivia, but still. I won't forget the first time I found out it worked. Also by mistake :-)

I'm all nostalgic over that hooter, although I do like the thought of emptying the bowels via soundwaves of any BMW driver that cuts me off in future.

Olvia's looking the business - she's going to be absolutely awesome when she's done. I know letting go of some of her old bits is part of the process, but it's still sometimes hard to do.

My Next Land Rover...

...will be bog-basic, old and battered, a short-wheel-base beast that I've rescued from neglect and taken home to love. It will look like it's about to fall apart, but the engine will be completely sorted and ticking over beautifully. It will probably have a dashboard filled with water bottles, bits of string, an odd bolt or two and tree-rings of dust from the places I've been lately. I might deign to take a hosepipe to it once a year to find out what colour the paint is. It may have enough seats for passengers, or you may just need to hold on tight wherever you find a place for your butt. I'll think nothing of throwing a surfboard, a load of compost, a few dogs or some rescued wood in the back - the paintwork won't matter, nor will sand, dirt or dog-slobber. It may not have a roof. It may only just conform to roadworthy standards. It will definitely be a working vehicle that won't be afraid to go play in the mud. I'll love driving it, in spite of the need to keep a dry change of clothes and a towel handy in winter, simply because it's a Landy.

OR

...will be a Defender 90, smart as a button, perhaps in black or gunmetal grey. No leaks, no major rattles, and the luxury of hearing a radio over engine noise. It will probably have carpets and properly upholstered seats. It may be pimped (just a little - OK, enough to make a statement). It will be capable of going offroad whenever it wants to - but will generally serve as a comfortable daily ride. My son and his friends will fit in on proper seats with working seatbelts, and not get their clothes dirty during the ride or be unable to hold a conversation. It will handle hills in style and make a statement in traffic. It will not break down regularly, and I will not get into it with an adrenalin-induced fear of the unkown before every trip. I will be able to go out in it wearing evening dress or working clothes. It may have a dog-guard (and carpet protectors). It might even have aircon and central locking. It may or may not have flames down the side :-) I'll love driving it, simply because it's a Landy.

And Olivia? Olivia's part of the family. She stays, regardless.

Progress

Hey, at least she has a windscreen now! :-)

Girl-power

Since I posted the thing below, I've been mulling the whole "I'm A Girl" attitude. It runs a lot deeper than merely not being able to turn a wheel nut.

But here's the thing. I didn't start this project to give up simply because I'm a girl. I've battled through challenges in the past, and I aim to do so again. I'm not your average chick.

Yes, it will take longer as I have to figure things out and learn them for myself. Yes, I may make mistakes that will perhaps cost time or money. Yes, it will take more effort - but hey, my muscles were created to work. Yes, I may get frustrated or be frustrating to others as things don't happen quickly enough or in the prescribed manner. There's more than one right way to do things sometimes and I have to find what works for me.

But this chick ain't done yet. And she's not going to lie down and play dead either. Once this project's done, there will be another one waiting in the wings, which I look forward to with relish (in fact it's already in the quietly-planning stage).

So be it.

Girl

I've been a single mom for nearly 15 years. During that time I've learnt that there is generally no-one else around to:

a) open jars
b) lift heavy things
c) change light bulbs
etc.

So I've ended up learning how to do it all myself or it doesn't get done at all - and taking pride in the fact that I can. I like feeling the muscles working, surprising the general public with what I can accomplish, and giving a good few guys a run for their money in their own domain.

Same thing when it comes to sorting out Olivia. I've wrestled some pretty heavy stuff off of her (one of which recently got someone very p'd off 'cos they reckoned I shouldn't attempt it without help). I've fixed things, I've adjusted things, I've boldly gone where some refuse to. And even if it takes me a bit longer to both figure out and achieve, I've done it.

But now and then I get very frustrated at being a Girl. At NOT being able to do things.

Case in point - Monday night. It was leaf-spring removal time, as the front springs were due to be reconditioned the next day. We started late, and it was a very difficult, dangerous job. I spent much of the time just holding a worklight, fetching tools, making mistakes when I misheard instructions, and hoping the truck wouldn't crush the boyfriend. It took a lot of willpower not to get under there and help (I'm used to doing it myself, remember, and not used to being an assistant) - but it would have been more of a hinderance than anything else.

I did, however, get given one job to do. Take off the wheels. And that's where it got really frustrating. I simply didn't have the ability to undo those wheel nuts - especially when the tyre kept turning around up in the air, balanced on the axle stands. I had neither the power and height to keep it still nor the muscle to loosen those nuts at the same time. And it made me really really angry.

Yes, that sounds silly. Yes, it was even sillier for me to want to burst into tears when the nuts wouldn't turn and the wheel did. And the ultimate in silliness that I got p'd off when the boyfriend accomplished that task so easily it made me look like a complete and utter idiot.

But these things happen. The truth is that I am a girl. And not a tall one either. Sometimes there are things I can't do, no matter how much I try. I'm not superwoman, I'm not the do-anything chick. I just have to learn to deal with that fact and not try to get everything right all of the time.

Then move on to focus on the stuff I am good at. Stuff that only girls do well.

Photographic Evidence

There's been a lot of work going on with Olivia lately! But I haven't had a chance to blog it - instead I've taken all the photos I've posted to one forum, detailing her re-do, and stuck them here. Descriptions to be added eventually.

Even more stripped...

Just when I thought she couldn't get any more stripped, here's what Olivia currently looks like.


The new windscreen goes in soon, but until then she's not going anywhere. We were considering just taking out the remaining door at the back, then hitting the highway to see what speed is required to make her fly! :-)

Natural Aircon

If I thought Olivia was stripped before, I was wrong. Here's how I drove to work today, VERY securely strapped in...!


My 5-door model is currently a 1-door :-)

Stripped

Olivia is bare.

There isn't a rivet, bolt, nut, piece of rubber, silicone or cable tie left unless it's holding something essential.

The roof lining is out. The chequer plate is off (except for 3 pieces now modified and permanently back on - see below). Windows that were covered for years saw daylight - some of them came out completely. There's no grill, no bumper, no roofrack, no spare carrier (or spare!), no tow hitch, no trailer plug, no back step, no side skirts, no water tanks, no fire extinguishers, no storage, no curtains, no window grilles.... Inside there aren't even floors in some parts! With two of the three fuel tanks out, it's easy to see the road flashing by, the gears working, the propshafts turning. Quite scary stuff until you get used to it.

The only thing left intact, not to be removed during this process, is the dreamcatcher on the rear-view mirror.

Now the hard work starts. All those Landy bits all over the house, and the ones that aren't yet made / acquired - they all have to go back in. There are a few bits that are already renewed. Safari roof bolts, front vent seals, bonnet spare rubbers (and rubber seal around the inside of the bonnet), newly-galvanized light guards, new running lights at front, numberplate light at back - and a reverse light! Both back side windows are now smartly chequer-plated. The left-back window has had glass removed and is now chequer-plated - but the right-hand one remains, as there are plans afoot on that side. Body panels have been aligned / secured - and in the process we discovered she used to be a bakkie (open truck)! Behind the grill is anti-rustworm paint, which is going on the length of the chassis along with 2 other protective substances.

Everything that can be galvanized / electroplated has been. There are boxes of goodies to tackle and place, to modify and fit. There's a new windscreen that we keep falling over. The roofrack, bumper, light bars, storage and rockslider metal bits are tripping us up in the yard. This is still one very big job - and less than a month before we leave for Sani...

Meantime Olivia's light as a feather, bouncing all over the road, zooming instead of toddling. If we don't start weighing her down soon, she may fly.

Photoblog: Olivia goes Off-Roading

We took Olivia up the Two Oceans 4x4 Trail on Thursday as a learning curve and test run for Sani Pass. So far so good! :-)

Bat out of hell

Livi's back from the hospital, had her new exhaust fitted and is going like a BOMB! Absolutely brilliant with a roar to die for and much more power. Of course that has me pushing her up hills at speeds she hasn't done before - but checking her speedo against a GPS it seems she hasn't been doing what I thought she was doing anyway....!

This weekend a lot of work was done on her and on her bits. She's looking quite different, and there's more bits of metal lying around the yard. We also managed to set the rubbish bin alight in the process, and had quite the fire going before we noticed what was going on. But there's progress. A lot of progress.

And I've just heard there's a new windscreen on its way home.

This week I was due to be working on her with Favourite Man, but we're still awaiting various bits and pieces, so I've transferred leave to next week instead. I'll use this one to rest up... :-) I suspect I'm going to need it. Favourite Man is a very hard taskmaster, and I'll be running to keep up.

Picky Olivia

There were big things afoot for Olivia today. I took another Landy to work so she could go in to have her new exhaust fitted etc etc etc. Olivia - as Olivia does - had other plans. She first refused to start until I rushed back and gave her some personal attention (with the help of her new Landy friend). And then she conked. She disagreed with having Favourite Man in the driver's seat (or some such silliness) and gave up going forward half-way to her destination.

She's now in hospital (thanks to yet another Toy-Tow), having a couple things attended to. That'll teach her to be picky about who drives her!

She'd better get used to Favourite Man - he's not going to just give up and go away. Or at least I hope not.. :-) There's still a lot of fiddling with her bits to be done. All good, so she need not fear.

Here we go...

Olivia is about to get sorted in ways she didn't even know were possible! A lot of work will be happening very soon in a mad flurry of activity. Watch this space... :-)

New Technology for Series Landies

I've just found the most awesome Series upgrade! Now my Landy can use computerised diagnostics too!!!

Up and Down we go

Olivia loves wet weather. She hates cold. This morning was perfect - it rained most of the night so everything was still damp when I left for work. But it was warm! She went absolutely beautifully.

But there are times when you're scared to drive, and when after an hour of trying to breathe deeply once you get home you're still a little shakey.

Today is one of those days.

There was that "sigh" from the engine just before I hit town, the merest hiccup in power - and immediately I went from relaxed & driving to tense & listening. There's very little place to pull off until a certain point, and I hadn't checked fuel levels (fuel guage is kinda stuck on half-tank). First garage I came to was where I pulled over and did just that. Still have fuel. Check spark - nothing loose, still have spark. But had had a few more very little judders between the first sigh and the garage. The only culprit I could imagine is the vacuum advance, which is awaiting a new rubber seal on the end and is currently functioning with duct tape. So after sitting for a bit and gathering my courage, I gingerly headed home. Of course I would get stuck behind a tannie with a gigantic fern in the back of her car who seems to have learnt to drive when the speed limit was still 10. And then some chick in a Renault who slammed on brakes for everything - notwithstanding the Landy creeping up her arse. But we made it. Engine sounding "sloshy" again, but we made it.

Last time it did that I needed to stick in oil, and did so again today. I hope that's what the issue was (for now). It's not that it's run out, it's just that it's low - and using up oil a lot. I really need to get that compression test, the banjo bolt washers, the vacuum advance rubber... If only I didn't have to contend with office hours. :-)

So we're home. I sat on her wing in the last of the sun for an hour as the engine slowly cooled. Taking deep breaths, trying to stop shaking with terror at what might/could have happen/ed. And trying not to remember that tomorrow is Friday the 13th.

New Landy

I've just acquired a white Defender! Always wanted one... :-)

Go O Go

Olivia has been going fantastically lately! Replacing the distributor cap and HT leads made a world of difference to her power, and greasing the UJs helped with forward motion too. There's an oil change planned for tomorrow, but she's just been driving so well lately.

Yesterday I hit some hills in 4th where she would have struggled up in 3rd. Coming home from supper out, it was like driving the Ford (which is still standing broken, a month later) - easy to move, easy to steer, just feeling all-round great. I got home with a grin on my face.

She'll never be speedy. I like the sedate and dignified pace that allows me to enjoy the scenery. She'll never be light. But she's doing better on fuel consumption this week. She'll never be small - but zippy is overrated.

Go, Olivia, Go!

True to form

The good news is I didn't fall out of Olivia.

The bad news is I managed to crush a knuckle with one of the larger leaf-springs... but I'll live. 'Nother day, 'nother injury. Usual stuff.

I did get a lot done on her today - from door straightening to some wire-removal to a look at the banjo bolt. So progress has been made and clothing will be washed.

I'm going to feel this one tomorrow!