A few tips on what you could do to your car by a nice fellow called Philip Young who organises the Peking to Paris vintage car rally amoungst other things,
1) Waterproof the electrics which also keeps out the dust, onto every electrical joint, battery terminals, coil terminals, with a large squirt of Bathroom Silicone, which comes in a tube from any hardware shop. Cost: A few quid.
2) Get some stronger tyres (van tyres, six ply ok, but five-ply Reinforced type have a touch more grip, better braking, almost as strong), and get the tallest possible profile, 80 profile is better than 70, as it gives you more ground clearance, going up from 145-13 to 165-13 gives an inch of extra ground clearance. While you are at the scrappy you might as well buy a second spare wheel too. Cost: A few pounds from a scrap yard . (done)
3) Cover the brake lines and petrol lines under the floor of your car– lino tiles, or, metal channelling used to put shelves up the office wall (Dexion style) lined with more silicone works well. Cost: under a fiver
4) Sand mats are pricy unless you pick up a dog kennel coconut mat, or, sea-grass door mat, one with holes in is good, as they go into your footwell and can be a huge help when you get stuck in the sand…rubber mats are useless, they just spin out when bogged down. Available at most Garden Centres, Cost: about £2.50 each.
5) There are more problems with exhausts than any other item on rallies – make it really flexible, use a wire coat hanger, drill two holes through the two sides of the pipe, right through the two ends you join together with a strip of stout wire, and then twist together, the wire holds the pipes together but allows plenty of flexibility. Cost: nothing
6) Holes in the bonnet – its going to be blinding hot. Holes up near the windscreen edge suck air into the back of the engine bay, holes nearer the front let it out. More flow will lower under bonnet temperatures. (No need there are blanked off grills we can open up)
7) Get a new battery from a scrap yard (two or three quid), as any battery over three years old is past its prime, you will be starting the car a lot if you have an engine problem, or get stuck… also wrap baco foil round the outside of the battery as a heat deflector…
8) DIY stores do little lights that stick on under kitchen cupboards and shelves…They are ideal to stick to the side of the doors, or rear of roof lining, as interior lights, map lights, and might work under the bonnet and boot.
9) Wire mesh is great stuck behind the radiator grille as it stops the radiator getting stones, crud, or just clogging up with butterlies. Cost: A fiver.
10) Get a sheet of ply to put the jack on – when you are stuck and want to jack up the car, you will need something to stop the jack sinking in. A few quid in spares: Fan belt, accelerator cable, fuses. Cost: little.(done taking galvanised perforated ramps)
They Made it to Ulaan Bataar
"COME hell or high water" said globe-trotting Oxford father and son back in July, "we are determined to drive 10,000 miles to Mongolia in a clapped-out car bought off eBay".
And on Sunday 17th August at 4am Steve Merrow-Smith and son Will limped into Ulaan Bataar in their Seat Marbella after four broken rear springs leaving their comrades with their broken cars littered across Mongolia, finally meeting up with them all at the finish line outside the Mongolian State Department Store slap in the middle of the city.
They have spent the last few months fixing up their 16-year-old 903cc Seat Marbella ready for the ride of their lives.
The pair left London for Ulaan Bataar in the hope of raising more than £10,000 for the Mercy Corps Mongolia, and The Christina Noble Children's Foundation.
Every year more than 6,000 people apply for 300 starting places in the Mongol Rally and the lucky ones set off in a convoy of jalopies from London's Hyde Park on Saturday, July 19 ready for the big adventure.
The quest could take anything from three weeks to three months to conquer and Will only has a month off work from the Oxford University Press where he works in the subscriptions department.
Steve who works as a gardener handyman as well as struggling to be an artist said "We bought the car off eBay for £150 six months ago and have been testing the car's off road capabilities. It has cart springs at the back which although rugged make for a bouncy ride. It turns out that Lada springs fit too as we managed to snap four, as we were carrying such a large load of 100ltrs of fuel and four spare wheels as well as all the camping gear!"
Will has yet to pass his driving test but now has the necessary skills after his mammoth 30 day 8,000 mile driving lesson.
"Dad used to drive big HGV's on the night shift so when we got behind on our schedule, we'd split the driving and I did the day shift.
"The biggest problem was the state of the roads. Mongolia & Kazakhstan are both the size of Europe but tarmac is a rare sight. It's no surprise that only 60 per cent of cars normally ever finish the rally.
"There's no route, no support crew, no map there were a few scarey moments but it is amazing how people are prepared to lend a hand and save the day."
"We didn't quite make it to the big end-of-rally celebration at Dave's Bar in Ulaan Baatar on Saturday, August 16, but they will did manage to complete their route that included Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Ukraine.
From there they drove through Russia, Kazakhstan, back into Russia and finally Mongolia.
Though they have already raised about £1,500 and every penny donated via their "Just Giving" and "Will we make it?" links on their website go directly to their chosen charities.
Steve and Will Merrow-Smith's Charity Appeal
We have nominated two Mongolian Charities and need to raise a minimum £500 for Mercy Corps so please click the logo. Thank you to all who have given towards our handsome £1195 total for Christina Noble Children's Foundation.
The question is...Will We Make It to Ulaan Bataar in a 1992 Seat Marbella?
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