Kitting Out

KITTING OUT
We had been informed by the owner – but not by the AA, which should have been the first red flag – that the truck required only new shocks and springs, so we went out to Rob Leimer’s for the parts. Expecting a shop in an industrial park or smart-looking dealership it took a number of calls to them to actually find it in the end – tucked well down a dirt road and hidden from the highway. It’s more a LR graveyard than shop with dozens of dead and cannibalized LR’s of every style, age and condition covering the acres but if there is a required part for a LR that they don’t stock, or can source immediately for you, it probably doesn’t exist. Operating for over 30 years they are LR experts and a tremendous resource as well. Rob is the older namesake, Warren his younger partner – both excellent and very helpful and friendly. And, importantly, never up-selling and happy to provide non-LR parts if they are equal to the task but more competitively priced. Highly recommended.
I asked Warren if there was a mechanic he could recommend who could provide us with a quick-and-dirty bush mechanics course and he passed on Craig O’Briens number. I explained what we wanted and he was quick to agree, saying his team could both install the shocks and coils as well as run us through the ins and outs of daily maintenance so we could cover both requirements in one go. Perfect. Craig runs his shop out of the front yard of his house so again a bit of a “where the ‘beep’ is this shop???” experience trying to find it as you must drive into a rather upscale residential neighbourhood to find him and not round in circles in the commercial area just prior to his turnoff as you might reasonably expect (despite GPS protestations to the contrary ...). He runs a team of about eight local mechanics there and on arriving they swarmed all over the vehicle getting stuck into installing the shocks and having a good look round as they pointed out what was where for us so we knew what to look for as well.
Damn good thing they did as one after the other they began highlighting (and what was immediately obvious now) concerns (“No, that’s not an oil sweat, that’s oil spray, and you definitely don’t want it showing up there. But we’ll fix that ...”) and the list of what was needed to be done – and parts that needed to be picked up back at Leimer’s - began to grow. In went a new vacuum pump and brake pads (ah, so you CAN actually hit the brake and not instead just coast to a slow and dignified stop while pressing your foot through the mat ...), front and rear ball joints, radiator hose, fan belt and glow plugs that cured the “the truck doesn’t like cold morning starts” as the owner had put it to us (“Ach, nono, forget it, it just needs new glow plugs” said Craig on initial inspection and lo, that indeed was all it needed to go from 3-4 turns of the ignition to start down to one – and with no black cloud of unused diesel blowing out the pipe and poisoning the surrounds each morning ...); all definitely what was needed to be brought up to speed before we got underway. Their attention to detail and knowledge is outstanding: after 6 hours at it on day two all was finished and I rather guiltily asked the lead mechanic – who was off to clean up and call it a day - if he’d mind taking the truck for a run around the block as he knew best how it should run, and on returning he immediately popped the bonnet and extracted a small hose from deep within the workings and showed me the tiny crack he’d heard air escaping from ... In went a new one from their set of stores and up went my peace of mind even higher). Full marks and huge thanks to Craig and his team for the incredibly attentive service - even when we unknowingly kept them from their planned afternoon off – and an hourly rate that was incredibly reasonable. Highly recommended! And also a huge thanks to Clare for her patience and acceptance that her birthday this year was celebrated by me being under the truck all afternoon and her dinner a Filet ‘o’ Fish hastily picked up at McD’s in the midst of a spontaneous Leimer’s run ...
Other than mechanical fixes and spare parts (check any overlanding reference for a comprehensive list of required spares – or ask Craig or Warren ...), all we needed was a fridge and finally, after much wrestling with the options (and the cost, which was the highest of anything bar the truck itself) we went with a 40L ARB from 4x4 MegaWorld. An Australian brand aimed at breaking Engel and National Luna’s grip on the top of the market, ARB is one of the higher priced options but it has so far proven itself a terrific choice with minor amp draw, quick chilling properties and bomb-proof construction. It also sports a drain in the bottom which Engel did not, a consideration that seemed mildly useful on purchase but within a week proved itself key when a pack of boervors bled out everywhere ... Other than 4x4 MegaWorld, Outdoor Warehouse and Macro (a Costco-style big-box which requires membership, which is easily picked up at the entrance) covered every other requirement and we quickly had a series of colour-coded ammo boxes filled with stores, spares, clothes and enough canned goods, porridge oats, pasta and coffee to survive for weeks between shops. Macro is also excellent for liquor purchases at significant discounts – vital for cheapy local reds for around the campfire ...
And with that we were off on Phase 1 of the Grand Tour - and in the dark, of course, as seems our unplanned but despite all best efforts consistent theme - with an initial stay at Clare’s uncle and his family in Polokwane (ex Pietersburg), 4 hours - at our best cruising speed of 100 kph - north of Joberg on the excellent N1 (note the numerous tolls on this stretch will add up to around 200 Rand in total, and each has a police roadblock on the other side). ... Two weeks down and sometimes seemingly mired in the admin and last minute details of it all but, finally, on the move and with 4-5 months and two dozen or so further countries stretching out ahead of us ...