110 Fixes and Upgrades
It is now 3 1/2 years since I returned from my Overland adventure to Africa. I still have my 110 and it is surprising how long it takes to get round to tidying up all the things which took so much wear on the 8 month trip. This article will show in brief, with pictures, some of the work undertaken. Some is simply a refurbishment of existing items and then there are the improvements based on the experience gained.
One of the least satisfying items in my pre-Africa prep was where to mount the Hi-Lift jack. I made a choice which I still believe was superior to most other options I saw on the road but still found it a little in the way. The African dust gets everywhere and, while the Hi-Lift mechanism is very good, the jack doesn't perform well when the mechanism gets clogged up. A lot of people get round this by mounting the jack on the roofrack. This is all well and good but they are quite heavy and if you have been using the jack for a while you really wont want to be lifting the jack up that high. It also raises the centre of gravity even more so I didn't like that. I mounted the jack to the rear of the vehicle attached to one of the rollcage rear uprights. This was okay but I found it a bit of a nuisance when I needed the rear door open or wanted the shower skirt on the tent. I now believe I have found the ideal place which, in conjunction with the boot gaiter I now use on the jack to keep the dust out, provides a convenient and secure location for the jack .
The cooker housing has been refurbished and I have changed the orientation of the feed on the cooker to provide the least possible stress on the pipe. I have also fitted the changeover valve so I can have both gas bottles connected at once.
The coffee cupboard now has the benefit of a light taken from the rear of a Discovery.
The Alpine lights had a leak due to me constantly standing on the roof. This has now been pressed out and resealed. I will purchase some Phenolic board to bridge this gap between the 2 roof rack sections. This will prevent a recurrance of the same issue whilst still allowing the vehicle to flex without too much strain on the roofrack.
The tent zips started to play up but a quick application of some beeswax rubbed along the length of the zip fixed that.
One of the 12v sockets in the tent broke so I have a replacement ready to fit. I may also box in the connections for protection.
The front doors were in a slightly sorry state but a good wirebrushing followed by some Kurust and then an overspray of paint and it is ready for work again. I took the opportunity to tap out the drivers mirror mounting holes and refit so it is now not wobbling about.
The passenger footwell has also had a cut and weld repair and I have a bit to do on the bulkhead and the drivers footwell. These have been done in early 2015.
It is now late September 2015 and after a small mishap with the roof console electrics I am in the process of refurbishing and improving the auxiliary electrics. At this time I will replace the carpeting fitted to the cut down front roof lining with a more with clean vinyl similar to that used on the console itself. I have yet to decide if I will fit the CB to the centre roof console as I didn't use the small storage spaces I originally fitted at all during my trip.
