A question,a thought and a critisim.

[dumprat]

Something that has always bothered me about vehicle prep threads and "You should buy this type" of vehicle threads is the lack of thought given to the availibility of spare or replacement parts. I suppose if you are Mr. Moneybags and can afford a support crew and have supplies flown in to you at a moments notice it doen't matter.

But for the rest of us do you ever think of being in a small town, a very small town in north america and sitting for a week to have a tie rod end for you currie steering or a fuel pump for your mitsu diesel shipped in?

I have in the past bought used parts off an old farmer to get me home. This was several hours from any town and would have made for a very long walk out of the bush.

Food for thought?

 

[doug720]

Agreed, parts availability is a concern, and one of the main reasons I installed an Isuzu diesel in my LandCruiser. I was going to use a Toyota diesel but as they were not sold here, so parts are much more difficult to locate, you can get them, it's just harder and much more expensive.

The Isuzu 4BD2Tc is a common engine in the US and any GM dealer can get parts for them. There engines are dependable, but easy to work on and the parts are reasonably priced.

The LandCruiser is a North American 60 series so parts for it are easy and should be only short wait to get if no Toyota dealer is near by. Plus there is places like Spector and others that stock lots of new and used parts.

Plus the LandCruiser and Isuzu engine are both tuff and dependable, desirable traits for vehicles that venture away from home into less traveled areas.

Doug

 

[dwh]

Valid point.

However, for overseas use, parts availability is exactly why a lot of people go with platforms like the Unimog, Fuso FG/Canter or Toyota Land Cruiser - worldwide dealer network.
So, they generally do put a fair amount of consideration into the question.

Whether or not the local farmer, mechanic or junkyard is going to have what you need, or if you'll need to order and wait depends on where you are and what you are driving.

In the case of Frederick and Josephine's Congo trip (there is a thread here on ExPo about it) they stripped the bolts which hold their Land Cruiser's full floating axle to the hub and had to winch the truck (with a tirfor!) uphill for days before they got to a village with a mechanic - where there also happened to be a few broken down old Land Cruisers - where they got the truck fixed enough to carry on.

Would the farmer in the U.S. or Canada have had what they needed? Maybe, maybe not. Would the village in Congo have had what they needed if they had been driving an F-250? Probably not.

Bend a driveshaft on a Ford in the U.S., and who knows if the local farmer, junkyard or mechanic has one laying around. And if the nearest town with a dealer is 200 miles away, and the nearest town with a driveline shop is 300 miles away...you might not have to wait a week to get the truck going, but then again, you might.


And there is the intended use to consider. Of course, anything can (and will) happen but people who live in their truck for months or years are going to be a lot more careful, whereas weekend warriors and "4WD Enthusiasts" are much more likely to break something. But then, the weekenders and enthusiasts are usually either not alone, or not all that far from others when they are really pushing the limits.


I think a lot of build threads are really more about the hobby of building trucks for occasional use, than about building trucks for full time use. I think that's okay, because that's what the majority of people are going to use them for anyway.


Traveling by motor vehicle is always a "roll of the dice". That's almost certainly a large part of why it's so appealing.

 

[FellowTraveler]

Carry spares, and tools too!

IMHO, after your build which can take years determine what parts are prone to failure and carry spares, special tools, grease, belts or whatever. Don't have deep pockets then save up and get what is needed.

My Suburban has very specific parts not available in short order, example; after fabricating brackets for my second alternator I had to use an additional idler pulley w/bearings and decided on unit from a jeep, my serpentine belt is perhaps the oddest size I carry spare idler pulleys (GM/JEEP), a tensioner and four (4) belts for this mod.

I've installed redundant remote electronic fuel injection drivers (#1 reason 6.5 diesels die) so when one fails I just unplug and plug into good unit and be on my way. Even have spare lift pumps, fuel filters, injector return lines, injectors I stow in vehicle just in case.

I carry tools that no mechanics shop or dealer these days has on hand just for my diesel, both early/late full sets of GM shop manuals and run real time data logging.

I always have two (2) spare tires when going really remote I'll take two (2) more.

I'll take this Burb anywhere anytime within reason and even skip reason when needed, its my main transportation too!

 

[shmabs]

Dumprat,

Its interesting that you brought this up. Recently i changed vehicles and caught a lot of flack for it from some co-workers and friends. Previously i had a 2001 mitsubishi montero sport,it had rear ome coils, 265/75/16's, an ARB, skids etc...and was well prepped for moderate wheeling and week long adventures. I sold a rig that i was essentially 'done' and 'happy' with, to pick up another vehicle that was the same basic platform; japanese 4wd, 4 door, mid size suv, a 1997 toyota 4runner.

While there were many reasons behind this move, one huge one for me was parts availability. Even before i purchased my montero, i did some research into parts availability, and some polling of mitsu owners. All reports came back positive, most parts stores had the basic stuff, and the online stores mirrored that. After owning the vehicle for some time and having a need for some less than everyday parts, like ring gear bolts, carrier bearings, axle seals, pinion bearings, idler pulley etc. I became a little frustrated, at the time, VERY frustrated, when learning that the only place that had all my ring gear bolts was in NJ (i live in Northern CA) or when the only people that had the idler pulley i needed was a mitsu dealer, in Los Angeles.

These situations, those probably not common really bothered me. I work with limited parts availability on a daily basis, I have VERY little tolerance for it after a few years in military aviation.

I'm not saying that people lied to me, that wasn't the case at all. I probably didn't fully factor in my location. Though i am in the lower 48, in one of the largest states I am in a somewhat isolated location, with no mitsu dealer and not a lot of mitsu's locally, naturally a parts store isn't going to stock parts that it doesn't always sell. With my 4runner, parts availability is MUCH better.

Now, i don't particularly enjoy having a vehicle that everyone else has, or has built. In my location, toyota's have such a following its almost like a disease, with most owners feeling that their trucks are made of gold, while every other manufacturer is vastly inferior in every way shape or form. But what i do enjoy is knowing that in my local area, and where i plan on using my truck, i can enjoy good aftermarket support and a good parts network.

Cliff notes that i will use for vehicle selection:

Get to know your vehicle, its quirks, common failures, special tools, etc. Be prepared for common and odd ball breakdowns as much as reasonably possible.

Parts availability in my home town and where i plan on traveling, both common and obscure items, new and used.

Aftermarket parts, im a DIY'er, but some things are just nice to buy.

Popular vehicle=popular parts.

YMMV

Mike

 

[McZippie]

Something that has always bothered me about vehicle prep threads and "You should buy this type" of vehicle threads is the lack of thought given to the availibility of spare or replacement parts. I suppose if you are Mr. Moneybags and can afford a support crew and have supplies flown in to you at a moments notice it doen't matter.

Food for thought?

Yep... Have given this subject a lot of thought. I may not be quite Mr Moneybags, but when we're out doing long distance adventure/back roads trips, we tow an extra vehicle for a lot of reasons, including break downs. We have had break downs and have continued on with the other vehicle. It's a luxury but sure beats sitting around waiting for repairs when vacation days are limited.
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Next week we are starting three week of wanderings along Hwy 2, through Michigan U.P, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Idaho. We don't do a lot of pre-planning, just pick a direction and stay off of Interstate and Major Highways. Let the backroads and interesting terrain be our guides. Our small Ford E350 Motor Home even while towing the Jeep, is very capable of high speed travel on most unpaved back roads. Our Jeep will be used for side trips and over night camping to more remote areas. When we discover a 4WD Trail that looks interesting, we can detach the Jeep from the Motor Home in under a minute.

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[762X39]

This is an interesting thread with more than a few valid points made. I typically do not modify my vehicles so that they are easy (well ok, just easier) to service in remote locations. I also carry a back-up vehicle (and funnily enough, so do most of the European nomads of my acquaintance ) but my backup is just a mountain bike (some carry a dual sport). Stuff will break and you will have to repair it in less than ideal conditions. I take my travel very seriously and take the out most caution to never "giver-er" because my truck is my home for periods of time and I see no point in conquering an obstacle just to be broken down on the other side of it for a day while I hike out to try and buy repair parts at the last outpost 100km away.

 

[CodyY]

Proven motor (7.3powerstroke), good parts (coolers/ujoints/etc), big nasty axles (D60/Sterling 10.5) and preventative maintenance goes a long way. Skill and good decisions on the trail, you make your own luck.

At least in my case.
97 E350 van getting Ujoint 4*4 conversion.

 

[keezer37]

You get into countries where people can not buy their way out of trouble and you'll find that more often than not, they can think their way out of it.
I've adapted a Frito Lay Jalapeno Cheddar Dip can to size an air filter to a carburetor. I've also used a Zerk fitting as a replacement for a broken wheel cylinder bleeder screw. *Self bleeding system but check fluid level often.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[Erik N]

My Ford Exploder is no feat of engineering, but I gotta say that parts are cheap and every parts store has them in stock.

Of course, if that were not the case, it wouldn't be worth owning. Commonality can be a virtue.

 

[Erik N]

^^^ +1

I am a member in a Porsche forum, those guys go out of their way to help each other out. When someone buys an old car and needs to drive it cross-country, they rally around and exchange phone #'s, locations, etc, even putting the member up for a night or 2. There have been many instances when the help was used.

The internet is great for stuff like that.

 

[CodyY]

Not sure about expo yet, I'm sure it's similar, but the ADV forum has always been good strong in this dept

 

[C-Fish]

^^^In my past life I was an active member in the BMWCCA, same thoughts as above about rallying behind/for membership in need.


Another comment for commonality in vehicles.

I like to be different, always drawn to the unique platforms. I've learned in the past few years that I can be (unique), albeit within the common platform...

Too bad it took me 47 years on this earth and $$$$ to realize, but it's been fun along the way.

 

[6x6pinz]

I use a some what unfamiliar platform "pinzgauer" for my travels. While it is old, in the past eight years it has proven very reliable (only issue on treks so far has been tires). I do take along forum members contact info for the states I am traveling in. I have yet to need the help but it is comforting to know it is available. As far as time to get parts when I am overlanding I tend not to be in much of a hurry. In the past my vehicle of choice was a Ford F350 diesel. It only caused a small issue with a fuel line, but was extremely lucky to find a very small town. The luck continued in that the town had a ford dealership and had the part in stock. By the time we had lunch and saw the town, covered on foot, the truck was ready to roll again. I know bad things can happen with any rig when out away from society but in most cases there are ways to cobble a rig back together or find a friendly farmer to get rolling again. Talk to anyone who has done extensive "off the beaten" path traveling and they will have stories of what it took to get home that one time.
Remember it is about the journey not the destination.

 

[BIGdaddy]

I've driven quite a few vehicles, but the only two I've had fail catastrophically were my trusty 4runner (blown 22re motor) and my Chevy blazer (700r4 stuck in first after tranny flush) both on several hundred and several thousand mile road trips, respectively.

The toyota blew in Harris ranch, on the way from Davis to Ventura, and was flatbedded the rest of the way home. No way around it. Slung a new motor in it when we got there, that we bought the weekend I arrived back home from college, from whence I was travelling.

The chevy's tranny was toast, and on a lift in St. George, Utah on the middle of a trans-US road trip (San diego to Alberta, Canada). We found a new tranny in Salt lake, drove like madmen, went and grabbed it and had it installed the next day. On that trip I also toasted my rear driveshaft u-joints. Napa auto parts pressed both out and reinstalled for $20.00. nice!

So, the case of the K5, it was definitely VERY advantagous to have a newish (10 year old) rig with a common drivetrain.

The toyota was a bit of an adventure getting it home, but my dad and I were able to get it repaired on my winter break, in time for me to use it to drive back up to Nor-cal. Having a rebuilt motor ready on a pallet at a local rebuilder certainly helped with that!