DII overland prep

[Alaska Mike]

ARB front bumper with winch:
I'm not crazy about ARB bumpers, but in your application it should be fine. All I can say is get a good winch. You don't have to get all fancy and have all of the bells and whistles. Just get one that will work when you need it. Warn is a good option. Also, consider winch lock nuts. Cheap insurance.

Snorkel
I can't argue with one, as long as it doesn't restrict airflow.

Recovery Gear
Black Rat makes a nice kit. I'm not fond of ARB's stuff, although it does look nice. A good snatch strap, a tree saver, a tow strap, and a bunch of clevises are all your should need. Also, get a book or two (and/or video) on vehicle recovery techniques.

Interior storage:
Watch the weight with a home-built system. Keep it basic and clean.

Fridge:
I don't have one, so I wouldn't know.

Skid plates/underbody protection:
Might look at the diffs.

How long was that vehicle in Hawaii? Think corrosion. Salt air is worse than you think.

 

[Desertoutpost]

I think there are other important factors here besides the Disco…

Do your homework, you have said some things that cause me to pause and get concerned....

Looks is the first one that comes to mind, looking tough and being tough are two completely different things at times. When planning an expedition looks does not even fall into the options menu. Just the fact you are concerened about looking cool makes the flares shoot into the sky.

Unless you are a good, accomplished wood worker I would have these drawers and rear areas that you want built for you. You doing it on a weekend afteer getting some wood from home depot is a bad idea. Think about a few weeks of shaking and bumpy roads down south and stuff tends to fall apart, which could really sideline your journey, and possibly cause injury. Can you fit a fridge behind the driver’s seat of a disco for the passenger to get at and open the lid while driving, as you want?

You still have not considered security to the vehicle with all your stuff in it while you and your girlfriend are hiking through the Mayan ruins, relaxing on the beach, and diving in the gulf? Could come back to no Disco or at least all of you stuff gone, could be a trip ending mistake.

You need to make a list and prioritize, what is your budget on the build?

Maintenance:
New tires.
Ome or similar coils and new shocks/steering stabilizer.
Head gasket and major tune up completed.
All axles and transmission/transfer case flushed and filled.
Replace all hoses.
Replace belt.
Check water pump.
Check alt.
Check all wheel studs and lug nuts.

Overland Stuff:

Lighting?
Security, cages, kill switch, gas cut off switch?
Spare parts for Disco?
Spare keys for Disco?
Spare tools to work on Disco?
Spare battery, how many you running?
Spare water for the Disco?
Storage for all the spare stuff?
Recovery electric, winch? Do you know how to use it? In the dark?
Recovery manual hi lift jack? Do you know how to use it? In the dark?
Recovery points on Disco? Need more, have enough, do you know where it is safe to yank you Disco from without bending stuff?
Scan tool, because they are not going to have one.
Disco manual for you and them.
Solar charging for your fridge and batteries?
How many spare tires you going to run?
Diving gear for two, where to store?
Clothing for two, where to store?
Day packs for your Mayan adventures, where to store?
Spare operating fluids for the Disco?
Fuel carrying?
Hoses, belts, pads, rotors, plug wires, bulbs, food, water for two, etc...
What type of containers for all this stuff?
How to pack?
Roof rack?
Security for roof rack?
Where are you going to be sleeping? RTT?
Spot?
Sat. phone?
Maps and compass, yes real paper maps because sometimes GPS can fail!

lots to think about....

I'm no expert but this would be the start of my list, there is a ton of stuff I did not include or could think about off the top of my head. There are other on this board who have the know how and have done these lists, seek there advice.

 

[EricWS]

I'd look at your tire selection carefully as well.

You don't mention springs and shocks as well. Stock shocks won't survive long and you'll need HD springs for the loads.

Dif Protectors, Sliders, Pinion guards is what I would recomend to start. Sliders might be a custom item as you could definetly use side recovery points. You should look at HD links for your steering and trailing arms as well. Rovertracks - Good, reasonable price and strong.

Keep abreast of the State Department Bulletins. They are fairly accurate and I use them frequently for business travel.

Sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime.

Adds up quick eh?

 

[ShearPin]

Hey - sounds like a great trip. I've only made it as far south as Belize/Guatemala. Did the trips once by myself from San Diego and once as my Honeymoon through Texas - both trips in my Series III Land Rover. I've traveled a fair bit in Mexico as well - mostly solo, some with my girlfriend/now wife. You're heading a lot farther - most of what I can offer is encouragement.

Regarding vehicle prep and what you need - I left with water, tools, parts (water pump, alternator, service parts), winch, tow strap, high-lift jack, some camping gear, good suspension, good tires. Most of my piece of mind came from knowledge of the vehicle - highly recommended. If you can limp somewhere in this day and age parts can be obtained. I joke with my wife - since starting the daily grind my camping gear and vehicle prep have gotten more high tech, expensive, and expansive but actual travel time has decreased terribly. I need to change this equation.

Regarding camping - all the times I've camped in mainland Mexico I wanted some alone time (Baja is the exception - camping is the norm). Food and a place to sleep are relatively cheap and a great way to meet people. I'd leave the fridge at home. Keep the camping gear light and efficient.

On safety - traveling with someone you care about is a lot more complicated then traveling alone. I was more cautious but the experiences I have had have shown there isn't a dagger behind every door nor a bandit in every ditch. My wife wanted no part of Guatemala after reading the guidebooks - it ended up being her favorite part of the trip. By choice we didn't follow the major arteries or tourist bus routes. The back roads are often quiet dirt tracks - scenic with no traffic and welcoming towns, good food, and inexpensive places to stay.

There is always a chance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think this fact hard to avoid no matter where you go.

Henry
www.4x4freedom.com

 

[Mercedesrover]

I was trying to stay out of this post as I’m obviously way too cautious and am doing nothing but putting a damper on this kid’s good time….

I don’t understand. Are we prepping this truck for and “overland” trip or an “off-roading” trip? ARB bumpers? Winches? Rock sliders? The last two multi-thousand mile trips I’ve taken, I took the winch OFF my truck. Bouncing through Paraguay is going to be tough enough without looking for serious off-road trails that will require winches and sliders. And that’s not to mention the weight these things are going to add. An extra what? 600lbs? Not too smart. Carry a 25’ tow strap and a come-along and stay on the roads. Your truck is going to become overloaded very quickly and paring your gear down will be essential. The biggest factor contributing to a vehicle failure by far is too much weight. Keep it as light as possible!!!

And I won’t mention the choice in vehicle again, apart from the fact it’s a truck that requires a head gasket change as a maintenance item. That’s nice. I’d be darn thorough with the mechanical prep before a trip of this nature solo. Sure, Drivearoundtheworld did it, but can you imagine the scale of support they had? Hell, Land Rover crossed the Darien Gap in the 70’s but they also flew in differentials by helicopter. And more than one!

First and foremost, Riverrat, you need to buy and study the “Vehicle-Dependent Expedition Guide” by Tom Sheppard. I don’t think anyone’s mentioned that before. It’ll cost you $500 for a copy these days, but it will be indispensable. Read it, study it, plan with it.

Second, you need to decide what you’re going to do on this trip. I would imagine you would stick to the road and as such won’t have any use for a winch and rock sliders. You may want to think about a bumper strong enough to push a car out of your way if someone tries to block you in, but nothing more than that. An ARB, winch and sliders are going to be money not well spent and GVW not well utilized.

Jim

 

[hks3sgte]

sorry Jim but I disagree. There's plenty of nice shinny SUV in Central America - and even more in South America. They belong to both locals and gringos. With some good judgements, some spanish and hopefully some friends in the truck, he will be fine.

The areas that are dangerous will be dangerous no matter what you drive. I know of a backpacker kid who got shot (killed) on the bus when it got attacked/robbed and was trying to protect his gf. I am ready to bet she whished they were traveling in a nice Disco instead of the chicken bus.

okay time for a beer...and back to the Discovery modifications.

I'll second this. Especially since I am a Central American and have travelled down to El Salvador many times. It's not as dangerous as people make it out to be.

 

[ShearPin]

A winch is one of those things - traveling as a solo vehicle I've found it has given me piece of mind deciding to take a track versus not.

More often then not I haven't needed it but there's always that little bit of mud or bank on the other side of a river crossing where a smooth and slow tug is better then trying to blast through....

Henry
www.4x4freedom.com

 

[Alaska Mike]

First and foremost, Riverrat, you need to buy and study the “Vehicle-Dependent Expedition Guide” by Tom Sheppard. I don’t think anyone’s mentioned that before. It’ll cost you $500 for a copy these days, but it will be indispensable. Read it, study it, plan with it.

I will second this. If you haven't noticed, Scott Brady and his gang of merry travellers have ordered a reprinting/revision of this book. Get it now while supplies last- It's under $100, shipped to your door.

Second, you need to decide what you’re going to do on this trip. I would imagine you would stick to the road and as such won’t have any use for a winch and rock sliders. You may want to think about a bumper strong enough to push a car out of your way if someone tries to block you in, but nothing more than that. An ARB, winch and sliders are going to be money not well spent and GVW not well utilized.

I would also keep the body armor light. Unless you're planning some serious, serious off-roading, keep the steel cladding minimal.

Since you're going with a solo vehicle expedition, I prefer the security of a winch. A M8000 could be made light (~50lbs), but the bumper and winch-mounting options add lbs. You could easily get away with a Tifor-style winch, which is much lighter and cheaper in the long run, but requires more effort. Waffle grids might be useful if you're heading to areas with a lot of loose sand, but are otherwise expedition bling for the most part.

 

[tdesanto]

From Argentina to North America

These guys just did a trip from Buenos Aires to North America. They trip isn't even finished yet. I saw them at the south central area rover rally last weekend.

Their website: www.amunches.com

Their vehicle is a 110 tdi.

View attachment 18201

They're still traveling, and the website is completely in spanish, but if your language skills aren't that rusty, then you might be able to navigate their site. You might want to contact them to discuss your plans, as it appears they could offer quite a bit of advice.

 

[Christian P.]

well guys this whole thread disturbs me.

A VW Beetle could do this trip. The road is paved all the way down to Panama City - from where he will ship the truck to S.A.

The 4x4 is very useful for doing side trips, but you do not need any rock sliders, winch, lift kit, drawer whatever. If you want to do it, great, but it is not required!

Keep it light and simple. I agree with the suspension, a good Engel fridge and some recovery gears/spare parts.

Bring surfboards and mountain bikes and spanish guides.

When I was 25, 4 of us travelled all over Costa Rica with a stock Suzuki Samurai with no top and our back packs strapped to the spare tire. At that time, I did not even know what sliders was. We had such a blast!
This is one of my best trip ever!

All the major ruins/sights in Guatemala and Belize are 2WD accessible.

In Panama last year we rented a Toyota Rav4 and it took us almost everywhere I wanted to go.

Here's what you have to keep in mind:

In most of the less-developped countries, people do not have all that gears on their truck. They drive everywhere with old beatup 2WD Toyota pickups and minivans. Most roads are designed for that - if they can't make it with their 2WD, usually that means there is no road at all. Or if there are roads, they're usually not on the maps and it's hard to figure out where they head.

I do not want to make a judgement, but it's a very North-American misconception to think you need all that gears to survive!

A stock Discovery is perfectly capable for 98% percent of the places you will be going. If you really want to do some serious off-road locally, meet a couple of local friends and go along with them.

I would be much more concerned about the cost of fuel in the overall budget - it's usually the biggest daily expense.

And please do go with your girlfriends - yes it will be though sometime and the dynamic is different than a bunch of guys, but that's the real test. A few years ago my (ex) girlfriend and I travelled all over Mexico, Guatemela and Belize with 2 motorcycles - a DR350 and a KLX650 - we loved it.

If you make it through the trip with her, you'll have memories for the rest of your life.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Since you're going with a solo vehicle expedition, I prefer the security of a winch. A M8000 could be made light (~50lbs), but the bumper and winch-mounting options add lbs. You could easily get away with a Tifor-style winch, which is much lighter and cheaper in the long run, but requires more effort. Waffle grids might be useful if you're heading to areas with a lot of loose sand, but are otherwise expedition bling for the most part.

How about an M8000 with a synthetic rope on a DAP discrete winch mount? Whole thing probably comes in well under 100lbs.

 

[Alaska Mike]

I think that what you need to do this trip is very minimal. As you say, it can be done in a stock 2WD vehicle. We're not talking about going where no man has gone before, so the unknowns are pretty minimal. The information can be found through the members of this board.

I think the general consensus is that you need to look at what will stop you from continuing the journey and deal with that first. As has been mentioned, maintenance is key. Get a compression check done on the engine and look at what other non-destructive testing can be done to determine the health of the engine- for example, oil analysis. It's not 100% foolproof, but it might point out an otherwise hidden problem. Transmission service is a given (to include a filter change), and check the transfercase as well. Deal with leaks as is practical (it is a Land Rover, after all). If it leaks and can't be dealt with, bring extras of that particular fluid and check it frequently. Make sure the brakes are in top-notch shape. Replacing u-joints and other driveline couplings is pretty important, especially given the duty-cycle you will be subjecting them to. Tires are of prime importance as well- invest wisely and make sure they're 100% when you leave.

As for the manual, I would go through it and get a decent understanding of each critical system and the problems that can arise from a failure of each. You don't necessarily have to know how to fix everything, but a good knowledge can't hurt. Relying on dealerships can be a risky proposition if you are in an area that doesn't have one close by. Just a thought.

After that, figure out what your travelling partner requires for comfort and work through the various negotiations required to keep the weight reasonable. If she's not having fun, you're not having fun.

 

[Alaska Mike]

How about an M8000 with a synthetic rope on a DAP discrete winch mount? Whole thing probably comes in well under 100lbs.

That was what I was thinking instead of a full bumper, but a Tifor adds versatility (pull from any direction) and costs less. It can also be stowed anywhere on the vehicle, which helps with weight distribution and security. On the downside, it requires manual labor and the cable length is shorter (within practical standards). Not the most practical device for extended or repeated pulls.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Just curious... do any companies currently offer logistics services for travellers?

What I mean is... you break your fancy doohicky on your fancy truck in deepest darkest West Elownia. There is no local source. You call up said logistics company and tell them what you need. They find a source and have it sent out in the most expeditious manner possible. Possibly even to a place you will be in the near future if you're still mobile.

Seems like it would be invaluable. And the company doesn't even have to be brand specific.

Finding parts in the US or other 1st world countries is the easy part. Getting it to their destination can be the hard part.

 

[DBS311]

Go to Dave Connor's website/blog and read every post he made. Even shoot him a question or two. He just finished his trek and I believe he is still in the process of trying to get his Land Cruiser shipped back.

www.expeditionamericas.com