Onwards!!

We shall go on until the end . . . we will never surrender!
Churchill, 1940

Troopy Madness

​What did you do for Christmas, did you have a nice time? Christmas Eve? What about Boxing Day? New Years Day? Birthday? What did you spend your time on? If it’s anything other than fixing up a 24 year old beastie, then you sir or madam, have wasted your life. And by wasted, I mean lived it fully and I am utterly jealous.
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December was a blur of new deliveries, installations, fixings, re-fixings, re-imaginings, changing plans, and yes, many curses. Curses were rained down like skittles from rainbows, dispensed without care or due attention to whoever was in ear shot. Indeed when fitting sound-insulating carpets between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, a particularly frustrating low point, I was glad to be wearing earphones to protect my own innocent ears of the utter, incredulous filth I frothed forth.

Summary of December Changes

Since my last update in early December, the old girl (Izzy, short for ‘issues’) has:

• Received some fantastic new tyres from OzzyTyres – thanks Hussein, Geoff, Matt and Japdeep and all the team for their immense kindness and professionalism. Will be writing more about these tyres as I progress, but they look fantastic at the moment!
• Installed some brand new Century Batteries including one 100Ah Deep Cycle – huge thank you to Grant at Century for the Christmas gift! These batteries along with the solar (below) are absolutely beasting the fridge now, really impressive
• Installed a brand new 200W solar panel - Yay!! I have powwwweeerrrrr!!!
• Finally got the Volvo Seats up working and installed into the Troopy – super comfortable!
• Fixed stainless steel levers to make the folding Volvo seats more manageable - need another write up on the actual seats, they deserve their own post!
• Uninstalled the rusting bolts on the tent, fixed with mounting bracket and new bolts and then reinstalled the hinge - solid as a rock
• Fitted vehicle headlight protectors
• Fixed leaking cabin and leaking old solar panels
• Re-wired internal lights and replaced the lights with low power LEDs
• Installed Power Analysers to monitor fridge and equipment drain
• Installed USB connections within glove compartment
• Re-installed Reversing Camera to provide better viewing angle
• Flushed the entire cooling system
• Fitted new leather steering wheel cover – thanks David and the brilliant team at Shepsters
• Fitted new a handbrake boot – the easiest job out of the lot :-)
• Fitted soundproof and waterproof insulation and new carpet (a swine of a thing!)
• Installed brand new headlining fabric and replaced frayed cloth with new – thanks Steph for your amazing work. If anyone is looking to get some fabric reupholstered in her vehicle, please drop me a line and I’ll pass on her details. She is amazing and half the price of anywhere you’ll find.
• Cleaned, polished and buffed the entire of the vehicle
• Installed a 10-litre safe
• Replaced old frayed seatbelts with brand new ones
• Fixed broken fridge cable with brand new Anderson Plugs and fitted 12V plug in rear
• Replaced old broken plastic vents (the old ones shattered when one fell!)
• Fitted Elastic Ties onto the mattresses to keep them in place
• Reviewed the packing list about ten times
• Fitted a new rear spotlight
• Installed fuel-stop valve
• Remade all of the internal blinds, fixed with Velcro onto the marine carpet
• Oiled all creaking hinges I could possibly get my hands on
• Greased every nipple going!
• Another oil change and filter change

Absolutely Exhausted

And that has been my last month! I think I’ve spent as much time underneath it as I have driving it! Alas, it is almost time for shipping, so I’ve been creating online spreadsheets for maintenance and updating wherever I can. I have one final check to do with the mechanic to replace any bushes or rubber bits, and then it’s time to ship to South America. What an absolute blinding month of pain, frustration, joy and pain. Mostly pain. When I wake in the morning, it takes my fingers a few minutes to warm up and I’m fairly sure I’ve bruised the bones on several digits. My secretary hands aren't used to actually working!

Overlanding – as good as it sounds!