A family camping trip in a series 1

Ray Hyland

Expedition Leader
I guess the biggest issue we have today is the amount of equipment we take along. Good luck sorting the essential items from the 'nice to have'. Ditch all recovery equipment as you will be traveling along a busy route with plenty of local people to push you out of trouble :)

Agreed. We will have a set of Maxtracks because they are great for conserving the vehicle. For example camping in a field or away from the roadway, they can make it easy to get through a boggy bit of field or up a loose slope etc without needing to take a run at it, and thereby breaking something on the old truck.

Speaking of old, it's been fun teaching the kids how to make gaskets out of a cereal box...


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Ray Hyland

Expedition Leader
Ive got 3 boys as well, 14 (6'0"), 13 (5'11") and 10 (5'4"). It would be a tight fit for my wife and I to have all of us live out of such a small vehicle.

Not that it cant be done, but id at least sugest stocking up on a case of these.

sxnsmtff.jpg


-Jeff

Yep. Tempted to pick up an old mid 50s Triumph motorbike when we are in the UK so people can take turns riding, just for a break from the truck...


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proper4wd

Expedition Leader
On the engine rebuild front... does it have the original IOE engine or has it been replace with a later 2.25?

(If the IOE... contact redrum here on the board, he is in the midst of the arduous rebuild process)
 

Ray Hyland

Expedition Leader
On the engine rebuild front... does it have the original IOE engine or has it been replace with a later 2.25?

(If the IOE... contact redrum here on the board, he is in the midst of the arduous rebuild process)

Cool. Yes, it's the original side valve 2 litre.
 

Ray Hyland

Expedition Leader
Family of 5 in a S1? Plus all your gear? Sounds cramped. You might consider a small trailer.

When I go camping in my S1, I only take one passenger and it's tight.


I like that truck, I think I saw it in a magazine one time, Toyota underneath right?

Yeah it will be a tight fit, but we are not camping anywhere cold so we can travel light.

Trailer is a possibility, but they have pros and cons. We've done a LOT of trips with trailers in tow.
 

plainjaneFJC

Deplorable
Look forward to updates on the rebuild and your trip planning. I would think 5 people in a S1 would be like a clown car in the circus. You sir have guts!
 

LR Max

Local Oaf
Something to consider: Go ahead and ship the Series 1 over to England and have it worked on there. Seems like there is a lot of knowledge and parts available readily in the UK. You could also see what you can do about getting a few more HP out of that engine which would be grand. That said, if you build it near your home, you can do a few shake down trips. This familiarizes you and your family with the gear, vehicle, and you can start working out bugs. Having a problem within AAA range of the house is better than in BFE another country.

Also engage others in the trip planning. I just got done with a trip and I planned EVERYTHING. In all honesty, I didn't have fun because I was too busy making the next thing on the plan happen.

Spares, I'd bring a spare water pump, hoses, fuel pump, carb rebuild kit, spark plugs, coil, distributor cap and button. Swap over to a Petronix ignition (get a good Bosch coil to go with it, the flamethrower coils have a bad reputation) and then you won't have to worry about points and crap. Those are the only major items that I can think of that could crap out on you and leave you stranded. Which is a bad time.

Even if you pop a coil after 4 weeks, you can replace it and then you figure you've got 4 weeks to find a replacement. Such is life. I know the fuel pump is a problem with my series 3 so spares are always crucial for me. It is what it is.

Search here on this website. Some guy got his family crammed into a Jeep Wrangler TJ (the Jeep before all this "4 door" nonsense). He has A LOT of suggestions on pairing down crap. Its amazing what you can get away with weight wise. Their family had to rough it a bit more which they were cool with. All part of the experience and all that crap.

Parabolic springs. Get them. Oh and new seats. Your body will thank you.

Look into sound proofing. Lizard skin comes to mind. In my Series 3, sound and heat are big issues that add a lot in terms of fatigue. Also buy everyone in your family noise canceling earphones. That way they can drown out the noise of the crappy old truck and have some alone time listening to their preferred music. Podcasts also bring multiple kinds of win.

Steering damper. Yes. And renew the steering all together. When the steering gets about a 1/4 turn of play in it, you start complaining...a lot.

Look at carb upgrades. Long story short, seems like british carbs are goofy and make no sense. However a nice Weber that you can easily swap out the jets when you start climbing in altitude will make a difference.

Buy this:
http://www.safetyseal.com/

Let me explain to you the awesome of this kit. IT IS AWESOME. First off, its easy to use. Have fun fumbling with any other kit. This is super easy to use. On top of that, it works fantastically. As I can only imagine, crap in the roads will be prevalent. Also with this, you can get rid of tubes. You just replace and go. Also a good 12V air compressor is worth it. Don't skimp out here. Also with this setup, you really only need 1 spare, saving you space and weight.

One of two things: Either install about 4 12v plugs for all of your family electronics, or minimize your electronics. That is always a huge problem with me. I have so many electronics that all of a sudden, I need like, 5 USB ports to charge all my crap... and that is just me. This is a personal flaw but I don't want you to get caught up in that mess. On that note, a nice bluetooth sound bar is awesome at camp. Especially one that takes the same charger as your phone.

On that note, LED headlights. Let me explain to you the missing link in your life. You are incomplete without these. Holy crap. So much epic awesome. Like, I don't need aux lighting with these puppies. Well I keep my 20" LED light bar, but that is because its my toy and I love my toys.

Seriously. Peterson 701c LED headlights. Doesn't draw any extra power so you can keep your stock wiring and they put out A LOT of power. On that note, look at replacing all the bulbs in your series with LEDs. Less power usage and they work better.

Replace alternator and look at getting a mean green starter or something heavy duty like that. In the cold, that is when these guys shine. Instead of being in 9F and nothing works, these guys will help get you turned over. Then your engine gets a bit of heat, next thing you know, choke is half way pushed in. Great success.

If you are putting in new glass, get said glass tinted at the same time. This will make a HUGE difference with direct sun as well as night driving. Helps with the glare from the lights from the back of the vehicle. I'd say that is a huge problem with my 109. Headlights of modern cars just pierce through the cab. Its very annoying. I try not to drive at night in my 109 but sometimes it happens. Actually this is the main reason I don't like driving at night. I have a feeling with 12,000 miles ahead of you, you'll end up driving at night.

Check into aftermarket radiators. My series 3 came with a 3 core radiator. Upgraded to a 4 core. Up until this year, typically it gets into the 3 digits here in Georgia. No issues with the truck running hot when it was 107 at 4pm with the sun beating down. Now I crapped out but the truck didn't.

Buy books on the places you are about to go. On a recent trip to Colorado, it was cool driving from Silverton to Ouray and my dad reading about the history of the piece of pavement we were on. Helps pass the time.

Get a funnel with a strainer in it for pumping gas. Easier than having crap in your tank.

That is all I can think of. I'm a series 3 owner, not a series 1 so some of this information might not be applicable, but hopefully close enough.
 

optimusprime

Proffessional daydreamer.
Get yourself on some landrover forums,get the build thread up on them and here, that means you'll have some 'contacts' in place when you get this side of the pond in casa of those 'ohcripeshowdoidealwiththisinconvenience' type situations..... Whenever I've read 'epic' road trip threads the vehicle has broken down on the way to the ferry ........
 

Ray Hyland

Expedition Leader
Yeah, I am kind of expecting everything to break. So since I can't bring spares for everything I will probably bring almost nothing and just roll the dice. It will be interesting to see what parts I can find enroute (series parts are all over the place) and what I end up just modifying with what we find along the way. I have a kit similar to the safety seal kit, yes they are great. I haven't decided if I will run tubes or not. I will decide when we get closer to departure.

I have LED headlights on my 110. They are cool but I think for the series I will stick with the original anemic lighting. Easy and cheap to replace if they fail or get broken, and the truck doesn't go fast enough to need something with greater distance. Besides, they are already on the truck. My experiences driving in India and similar third world countries have emphasized the need to drive very slowly if required at night.

I will probably plum a 12V fuel pump inline as I put it all together. I scrounged some glass off another old series 1 that had a hedge growing through it, so that's sorted. A spare coil is a good idea, I can mount it on the bulkhead next to the original and swap the leads if needed. Hoses, 12V fuel pumps, belts, spark plugs etc I can get en-route. Electronics will probably just be my phone. I'm rebuilding the rad and putting in an alternator instead of the original generator.

The idea of reading about the places we are going is a good one. We've actually taken the First Overland book and used it as a "spine" for our homeschool lesson plans this year. So the family is learning about the history, culture, language, and geography of each of the countries we are passing through. We have added Arabic to the list of languages we are actively learning or have in our repertoire, in addition to English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Bahasa. Hopefully we can muddle our way through with a mixture of those in most places.

I might put a screen on the fuel tank filler tube to help with dirt. I have found when driving in Borneo or East Timor, that simply pouring the fuel through an old t-shirt worked remarkably well.
 
I like that truck, I think I saw it in a magazine one time, Toyota underneath right?

Yeah it will be a tight fit, but we are not camping anywhere cold so we can travel light.

Trailer is a possibility, but they have pros and cons. We've done a LOT of trips with trailers in tow.

Thanks. It's a Rover frame and body and pretty much Toyota everything else.

I guess I tend to over pack. I camp in the mountains and being prepared for any weather is wise. If you don't have to pack large coats for everyone and thick sleeping bags, that will make some room. But still, 5 people? You are brave!
 

meatblanket

Adventurer
Impressive goal you've set, I hope you pull it off!

My wife and I fit comfortably in our 86 with all the camping gear we want or need. But there sure as hell isn't room for 3 more people. I did drag a hiker out of the Maze in Canyonlands once, but he was riding on top of our camping gear. So, finding room in the 86 will be your biggest challenge. Maybe it can work with a roof rack and a minimal amount of gear taken. Better yet, add a second vehicle.

As you probably know the semi floating Series 1 rear axle can cause problems and spares are very hard to find. The First Overland guys had problems with them as well, and you'll be carrying more weight with the extra personnel. So, to avoid re-creating that aspect of their adventure consider doing a full float conversion. Set it up so that you can use the 10 spline shafts from the later full float axle. Alternatively you can just swap in a pair of the later model axles.
 

Canol 109

Observer
Ray I have a spare set of Series 1 seats...you need to come to the Cove and see what else you may need. Also have a complete exhaust that will be going to the recyclers soon if no one wants it.

Dave
 

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