Scott Brady
Founder
Boarding the plane- First stop France
The Great Roadway Bazaar
- Thread starter Scott Brady
- Start date
07 Elephant
Adventurer
Bon voyage! :smiley_drive:
Scott Brady
Founder
Off to a good start. As always, the South of France is beautiful
DiploStrat
Expedition Leader
Have a great trip!
FourByLand
Expedition Leader
Safe travels. Enjoy the adventure!
Scott Brady
Founder
I took delivery of the Jimny yesterday in Provence and drove back to Cabannes. It is much better than expected (overall). I am going to take some pictures of the few modifications and post them up later. The truck was prepped by 2B 4x4, who is the same team that prepped my Outback Challenge race truck- good guys.
Pictures soon- promise
Pictures soon- promise
LC4Dakar
Adventurer
You have the title (or V5 equivalent) in yours' or Chucks' name, don't you?
The American team from San Francisco on the current Mongolia Charity Rally only has the V5 partial the seller gives the buyer, nothing with their own name on it, and they are having border crossing problems in the Balkans. God knows what they will do when they hit Russia or Kazakhstan. I found Russian border officials tend to be professional but very picky. Mass quantities of baksheesh?
The American team from San Francisco on the current Mongolia Charity Rally only has the V5 partial the seller gives the buyer, nothing with their own name on it, and they are having border crossing problems in the Balkans. God knows what they will do when they hit Russia or Kazakhstan. I found Russian border officials tend to be professional but very picky. Mass quantities of baksheesh?
Redline
Likes to Drive and Ride
Looking forward to some pics
I took delivery of the Jimny yesterday in Provence and drove back to Cabannes. It is much better than expected (overall). I am going to take some pictures of the few modifications and post them up later. The truck was prepped by 2B 4x4, who is the same team that prepped my Outback Challenge race truck- good guys.
Pictures soon- promise
Scott Brady
Founder
Say hello to my little friend. . .
I have been spending a few days in the South of France with my friend Patrice and his family from Outback Imports. Patrice helped coordinate many of the modifications to the Jimny. 2B 4x4 installed the mods.
As discussed earlier, this truck is kept intentionally simple, though I felt a few critical upgrades were required.
1. LT tires. +1" size
2. HD Suspension and new shocks. +1"
3. Skid Plates
4. Lighting
5. Interior lashing
6. F/R recovery points
7. Interior power distribution for charging camera batteries, powering laptops, etc.
The vehicle started its life in Spain, and is a 2001 Jimny 4x4 with a 1.3L, 80HP gasoline, fuel injected 4 cyl. This truck was actually assembled in Spain. The vehicle has a traditional ladder chassis and a two-speed transfer case with 2.02:1 ratio, which is proving to be not near low enough on initial testing. The wheelbase is only 80", though it handles surprisingly well with the coil suspension and new OME shocks.
Detailed Factory Specs Here:
Its best angle. The departure angle is actually pretty impressive
Pretty clean and simple. I actually like it
It is actually a hybrid convertible/hard top. The front section can be easily removed, which I expect Charlie and I will do often. The small windows in the rear should help with security (I picked up some cheap window film too.)
Protecting the low-hanging bits was a priority. Trips like this are not about extreme trail performance, but there are still many hazards, like rocks rolled into the road, pipes, concrete pylons, etc. The Rasta skids are nicely made and look stout.
Axle skid and brace
The belly pan is nice too. Rasta makes a full compliment of parts for this truck. In fact, it is impressive the total array of accessories for the Jimny.
SuperVision sells some interesting LED lights into Europe. They are small and light, eliminating the need for a serious bumper or mounting hoop. The outer two are fog/cornering and the inner two are euro driving. Light coverage is good on initial testing, but distance seems a little lacking. I will report in more detail once I get them aimed better. I can also see them working well on a moto.
There are several advantages to the smaller lights, which includes light bounce and theft. You can hardly tell they are there without a close look. At 10w each, the drain on the charging system is minimal
2B also installed an OME 30mm suspension system with a +350lb rating. The shocks are the firm valving and the truck is handling the weight of the gear (and me) well so far. Stability is good given the 80" wheelbase, but I am still quite cautious in the twisties. It is a long way to Mongolia.
I have been spending a few days in the South of France with my friend Patrice and his family from Outback Imports. Patrice helped coordinate many of the modifications to the Jimny. 2B 4x4 installed the mods.
As discussed earlier, this truck is kept intentionally simple, though I felt a few critical upgrades were required.
1. LT tires. +1" size
2. HD Suspension and new shocks. +1"
3. Skid Plates
4. Lighting
5. Interior lashing
6. F/R recovery points
7. Interior power distribution for charging camera batteries, powering laptops, etc.
The vehicle started its life in Spain, and is a 2001 Jimny 4x4 with a 1.3L, 80HP gasoline, fuel injected 4 cyl. This truck was actually assembled in Spain. The vehicle has a traditional ladder chassis and a two-speed transfer case with 2.02:1 ratio, which is proving to be not near low enough on initial testing. The wheelbase is only 80", though it handles surprisingly well with the coil suspension and new OME shocks.
Detailed Factory Specs Here:
Its best angle
. The departure angle is actually pretty impressive
Pretty clean and simple. I actually like it
It is actually a hybrid convertible/hard top. The front section can be easily removed, which I expect Charlie and I will do often. The small windows in the rear should help with security (I picked up some cheap window film too.)
Protecting the low-hanging bits was a priority. Trips like this are not about extreme trail performance, but there are still many hazards, like rocks rolled into the road, pipes, concrete pylons, etc. The Rasta skids are nicely made and look stout.
Axle skid and brace
The belly pan is nice too. Rasta makes a full compliment of parts for this truck. In fact, it is impressive the total array of accessories for the Jimny.
SuperVision sells some interesting LED lights into Europe. They are small and light, eliminating the need for a serious bumper or mounting hoop. The outer two are fog/cornering and the inner two are euro driving. Light coverage is good on initial testing, but distance seems a little lacking. I will report in more detail once I get them aimed better. I can also see them working well on a moto.
There are several advantages to the smaller lights, which includes light bounce and theft. You can hardly tell they are there without a close look. At 10w each, the drain on the charging system is minimal
2B also installed an OME 30mm suspension system with a +350lb rating. The shocks are the firm valving and the truck is handling the weight of the gear (and me) well so far. Stability is good given the 80" wheelbase, but I am still quite cautious in the twisties. It is a long way to Mongolia.
Last edited:
Scott Brady
Founder
Continued: Intro to the Jimny
It is little!
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Here are the recovery points, painted red for ease of visibility. They are so small, that a standard 3/4" shackle does not fit. A 1/2" from an ATV kit was required and actually rated to the GVWR of the Jimny (1,420 KG, 3,130).
Check out that massive exhaust!
My first mod
For the interior, things are stock. I did install a 12v outlet splitter, which gives us three 12 outlets and one 5v USB. I also ran wiring for a small 100watt inverter. Everything is semi-permanent, both for security and because this vehicle was not prepped in our traditional way. The Garmin will be recording out track throughout and the SPOT will be transmitting our location.
.jpg)
As an interesting note, I brought my SCANGauge II with the hope that the reader would work with the Suzuki. A little research held some promise and I was pleasantly surprised when MPG, Water Temp, Voltage, etc. all registered. I will also be able to read trouble codes, which I find critical in the field.
A little rust on the chassis, no doubt from its short time in the UK. The new rear shocks are visible, as is the gas tank skid.
The tires are +1 in size to 215/75 R16 from the stock 205/75 R16. Most importantly, they are LT rated and AT tread. Road noise is minimal. Trail performance will be determined tomorrow, when I head into the Pyrenees.
It is little!
Here are the recovery points, painted red for ease of visibility. They are so small, that a standard 3/4" shackle does not fit. A 1/2" from an ATV kit was required and actually rated to the GVWR of the Jimny (1,420 KG, 3,130).
My first mod
For the interior, things are stock. I did install a 12v outlet splitter, which gives us three 12 outlets and one 5v USB. I also ran wiring for a small 100watt inverter. Everything is semi-permanent, both for security and because this vehicle was not prepped in our traditional way. The Garmin will be recording out track throughout and the SPOT will be transmitting our location.
As an interesting note, I brought my SCANGauge II with the hope that the reader would work with the Suzuki. A little research held some promise and I was pleasantly surprised when MPG, Water Temp, Voltage, etc. all registered. I will also be able to read trouble codes, which I find critical in the field.
A little rust on the chassis, no doubt from its short time in the UK. The new rear shocks are visible, as is the gas tank skid.
The tires are +1 in size to 215/75 R16 from the stock 205/75 R16. Most importantly, they are LT rated and AT tread. Road noise is minimal. Trail performance will be determined tomorrow, when I head into the Pyrenees.
Scott,
Enjoy France!
looks like the prep team may have oversight one thing in their prep...the rear muffler...looks really rusty to me...
Enjoy France!
looks like the prep team may have oversight one thing in their prep...the rear muffler...looks really rusty to me...
Scott Brady
Founder
Packing has been an interesting challenge, mostly because of the fuel and tools/spares we are taking.
We are using this new style EU fuel container. Hopefully it will be leak free. I strapped it the back of the split rear seat. The angle of the seat and rear door keeps the Pelican case and fuel cans locked in hard.
.jpg)
We are also taking a small tire repair kit (with extra plugs) and a decent compressor that is private labeled by Outback Imports. It looks like the Viair.
.jpg)
A big thanks to Patrice for all of the help and support. It is quite a relief to have this level of support in-country.
I am off for some camping and testing of the truck. More images and details soon!
We are using this new style EU fuel container. Hopefully it will be leak free. I strapped it the back of the split rear seat. The angle of the seat and rear door keeps the Pelican case and fuel cans locked in hard.
We are also taking a small tire repair kit (with extra plugs) and a decent compressor that is private labeled by Outback Imports. It looks like the Viair.
A big thanks to Patrice for all of the help and support. It is quite a relief to have this level of support in-country.
I am off for some camping and testing of the truck. More images and details soon!
